Meghan Markle's hand gestures at event with Queen reveals her true feelings

Meghan Markle was appreciative of "wonderful" Queen Elizabeth II even as she came down hard on Buckingham Palace in her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March last year. The Duchess of Sussex even named her daughter Lilibet after the monarch's nickname which she had coined for herself as she had trouble pronouncing Elizabeth in her childhood.

According to a body language expert, Meghan's body language around the Queen after her marriage to Prince Harry showed that she continued to be in awe of the royal. During her short stint as a working British royal, Meghan was given the rare opportunity to carry out a day of public engagements alongside the Queen, and her hand gestures at the event showed the respect she had for the monarch.

The duo had travelled together to Chester on the Royal Train in June 2018. Among other engagements on the day, they attended the opening of the Mersey Gateaway Bridge. They seemed in good spirits and were pictured smiling and laughing together.

According to body language expert Judi James, their interactions revealed that the Queen was very happy to have Meghan accompanying her, reports The Mirror. "It was clear from the Queen's congruent and very spontaneous-looking smiles that she was delighted to have her new granddaughter-in-law beside her on this visit," she said.

The expert added that the former actress also made several subtle hand gestures that revealed her true feelings towards the monarch. She explained, "Meghan did appear rather nervous initially though, emerging coyly from the train and using some more tentative gesticulation than usual."

"Without new husband Prince Harry beside her to touch and hug her, there was a noticeable increase in Meghan's self-comforting self-touch and checking rituals, suggesting she is still quite in awe of her doting grandmother-in-law," she added.

The Duke and the Duchess of Sussex have suggested on several occasions that though they are feuding with several members of the royal family, they still hold a lot of respect for the Queen. Omid Scobie, co-author of Harry and Meghan's biography "Finding Freedom" told Good Morning America last summer, "When it comes to that relationship with the Queen, it is as strong as ever. They have nothing but love for her. Of course, we saw them name their daughter after the Queen's very nickname. So that really gives us an insight into that close relationship."