Meghan Markle gives powerful message during Prince Harry's award ceremony

Meghan Markle made a striking change that conveyed a strong message as Prince Harry accepted a controversial award, according to an expert. 

The Duchess of Sussex attended the ceremony in Los Angeles with her husband, where he received the Pat Tillman Award for Service, presented by ESPN to individuals in the sports community who have made significant contributions to others. 

Harry was recognized for founding the Invictus Games a decade ago, which supports injured and sick servicemen and women—both active duty and veterans—dealing with physical and invisible injuries.

At the event, Meghan was seen posing for photos with Harry and her friend Serena Williams, who hosted the glamorous occasion. However, body language expert Darren Stanton noted that there was something different about the Duchess during the ceremony.

He said: "Meghan was there to support Harry and you could tell she felt very happy to be there. On some occasions, we will see signs of Meghan trying to assert her presence and taking the lead during joint engagements.

"But during this event, it was all about Harry and Meghan wanted it to be that way. We saw her taking a step back and letting Harry take everything in with her support by his side. We know she was taking a backseat as her facial expressions showed genuine joy for her husband while displaying subtle, authentic and consistent smiles - without any signs of showing dominance.

"Meghan often takes a dominant lead in the engagements she attends with Harry, but she wanted her husband to be in control. It was her way of saying, 'This is Harry's night' Meghan wanted Harry to feel special and be the centre of attention. This was shown through her leaning into him a lot and gazing into his eyes.

The award Harry received - the Pat Tillman Award for Service - is named after former NFL player and US Army Ranger Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.
Harry opened his acceptance speech by acknowledging the family of Mr Tillman, "especially Mrs Mary Tillman – Pat's mother", which comes after she had reportedly expressed her disapproval of his selection for the award.