Prince Harry was 'distressed' on final Christmas with royal family

It was 2018. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first Christmas as a married couple took place at Sandringham, but it proved to be their last.

Cracks within the royal family reportedly surfaced; in this background, Judi James, a body-language expert, looks back at the pair's attending the festive celebration at St Magdalene's church.

She analyses a clip of the Sussexes at there with other family members. Her findings say the Duke of Sussex was "isolated and ignored."

"Harry has decided to gaze across at his father with a smile of affection, although the paperclip hand clasp of his jacket suggests he’s distressed here by possible feelings of rejection," she tells Daily Mail.

Amid this, Meghan took the lead in "steering" her husband away from the "disastrous interaction," the expert says, adding, "The impression here is that she knows the rules in terms of royal behaviour and that it's Harry who now needs to be steered."

By "steer", she means the hand placement in guiding Harry. "It's not just resting in a gesture of affection - we can see her inner two fingers apparently pressed hard into Harry's arm as she pulls him in her intended direction."

The appearance came against the backdrop of purported pressure on royal members to show unity in public and keep disagreements hidden, author Tom Bower revealed.

However, two years after that fateful Christmas outing, Harry and Meghan announced that they would quit The Firm on social media.