Inside Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle's relationship on shared interest

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle may have seemed like an unlikely pair, but they did share a common interest in tennis. 

Both the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex have been spotted at tennis events, with Kate being a regular at Wimbledon and Meghan supporting her friend Serena Williams. 

In 2018, the two women made a joint visit to Wimbledon, where they were seen chatting and laughing together.

Body language expert Judi James analysed the pair's interactions at Wimbledon and believes that despite their friendly display, tensions were already brewing between the two women. 

"Their first visit to Wimbledon came at a time when expectations were still running high that these two women might be best friends," Judi told The Mirror. "What we saw from their body language then was a display of politeness that didn't totally suggest close friendship bonds."

James notes that while the two women laughed and chatted together, there were few signs of genuine friendship. "Kate looked like a well-mannered host and Meghan appeared to enjoy her company but there were few if any convincing signals of anything more intimate," she said. 

As the years went by, the lack of friendship signals between the two women became even more apparent.

By the time of their second visit to Wimbledon, James believes that subtle signs of tension were emerging, particularly from Kate. "By the time of the second visit there did appear to be some subtle signs of potential tension from Kate, who seems to have taken a more 'adult' stance," James said. 

"The two women laughed together and even turned together to chat to someone behind them but as they turned back their smiles seemed to drop at about the same time."

James suggests that the lack of progression in their friendship signals implied that their relationship had stalled, despite efforts to put on a show of unity in public. 

"Neither of these women would produce any active signals of dislike or unfriendliness but it's the lack of any progression of friendship signals that seemed to imply their relationship had stalled," she said.