Body language expert weighs in on Meghan Markle's supposedly awkward moment with her mother at her Grenfell cookbook launch
Today commemorates eight years since Britain's worst residential fire since World War II.
The devastating Grenfell Tower fire broke out in the 24-storey block of flats in North Kensington and claimed the lives of 72 people.
The response to the national tragedy was phenomenal, with the London Community Foundation raising more than £10million and the British Red Cross raising £7.3million.
The Royal Family were quick to show their support, with the late Queen visiting the scene of the fire two days after it broke out, speaking with survivors, relatives of those who died, and volunteers and emergency services workers.
Meghan Markle regularly cooked with residents at the Hubb Community Kitchen, a local initiative started to support those affected by the fire.
She also collaborated with women affected by the fire on a charity cookbook, Together: Our Community Cookbook, in September 2018, featuring 50 recipes from the women involved and a foreword from the Duchess herself.
In 2024, Marie Claire reported that the cookbook had raised £911,000 and sold more than 130,000 copies in its first six months.
Meghan's close work with the women she met at the Hubb Community Kitchen marked her first solo project as a member of the Royal Family, as she established her new home in London.
Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, joined the Duke and Duchess for the official launch of the Hubb Community Kitchen's cookbook at an outdoor lunch at Kensington Palace on September 20, 2018
Meghan stands next to her mother as she speaks at the launch event for the Together cookbook
The cookbook, which is still available on Amazon, aimed to raise £250,000 to keep the Hubb Community Kitchen going.
But the book's resounding success meant more could be done and, in 2019, the kitchen was completely refurbished and opened seven days a week.
On September 20, 2018, Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, joined the Duke and Duchess for the official launch of the cookbook at an outdoor lunch at Kensington Palace.
Meghan said she was 'so proud' to live in the British capital as she delivered a three-minute speech without any notes. She described how the charity cookbook was a 'labour of love' and a 'passion project' that she had been working on with the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen for the past nine months.
Meghan's mother being at the event was significant, with the Mail's Richard Kay writing at the time: 'So often royal events are stagey, awkward and, let's admit it, unimaginative affairs.
'Doria's presence at Meghan's side at her charity cookbook launch – and her remarks – seemed both instinctive and authentic.'
But there was one moment which didn't sit right with some royal observers.
During the speech, the Duchess thanked the women for letting her work with them on the project - describing how it 'took a village' to realise her vision.
But as Meghan was speaking with a group of women and took a pause, her mother began to speak and was met by a stern look from her daughter.
Body language expert Jesús Enrique Rosas described the awkward moment.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Jesús, also known as The Body Language Guy, suggested Meghan was 'a little nervous because this was her moment to shine' with her first solo project.
But he noticed how everyone looked like they were 'having a good time', with 'lots of genuine smiles' suggesting 'they really liked being around Meghan'.
He said: 'At first Meghan's body language is quite relaxed and there is no tension in her eyebrows or her mouth.
'She's just talking and using certain hand gestures to emphasise her words.'
But the body language expert claims that as Meghan is about to end a sentence she clasps her hands, signalling the end of a thought.
Jesús Enrique Rosas says: 'What gives Meghan's emotions away is the shape of her mouth. Her lips are pressed against each other and are almost completely horizontal. That's a signal of frustration'
He adds: 'Doria wanted to say something and she waited for Meghan's body language signal that she had ended her current idea.
'But when Doria begins to speak we can spot a cluster of very concerning body language signals in Meghan.
'Her fingers are so stiff they're almost bending backwards, which is a very clear signal of tension.'
He notes that there are multiple signs written on her face. She opens her eyes wider and pushes her jaw forward, displaying a subtle anger.
He says: 'What gives Meghan's emotions away is the shape of her mouth. Her lips are pressed against each other and are almost completely horizontal.
'That's a signal of frustration and, if you had to conceal anger and inner tension, you already have a very aggressive reaction in terms of body language.'
But despite this awkward moment, many people believe that helping to create the cookbook was one of Meghan's best actions as a working royal.
Even Meghan's friend, former tennis champion Serena Williams, jumped in to show her support.
'I used to call you Meghan (and I still do) but dear Duchess of Sussex your first project Together [is] a cookbook bringing women of all cultures together.
'I could not be more excited about it and proud of you,' Serena wrote to Meghan on social media.
'It's beautiful - diversity, inclusivity, coming together in grief or joy - there is just so much love.'
In the Sussexes' Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, the Duchess reflected on the Together cookbook.
'The Grenfell fire left so many families displaced, outside of how many deaths it caused.
'And I remember saying "Well, can we do something? We need to go down there and do something."
'And so, I connected with the women at Al-Manaar, which is a mosque in Grenfell.
'They were living in these hotels and just given meal vouchers for fast food,' Meghan says in the series.
'Over the course of like eight or nine months, I just kept going back and visiting them and I loved these women so much.
'When I watched these women laughing together and grieving together, I said, "Why can't you do this every day of the week?" and they said, "Well, we don't have the funds for it."
'I just looked around. I said, "We should make a cookbook."'
'Actually the first speech I made as a member of the Royal Family was launching this cookbook,' Meghan said.
Eight years since the tragedy, the police have announced they are planning to build a full-scale replica of part of Grenfell Tower to secure criminal convictions, it has been reported.
The Metropolitan Police has told grieving families that the model, which would take more than a year to build, will help explain how the fire spread in any future trials.
However, families fear they may never 'see justice', as criminal trials are not likely to start until 2027, and the bereaved say that this has left them questioning whether the inquiry is too complex for the force.
A spokesman for Grenfell Next of Kin, which represents the close families of about half of the deceased, told the Telegraph: 'The trust is broken in the Met Police and the systems. Now they want to build a tower and on and on it goes.'
The fire triggered mass protests about building standards, following months of concerns from Grenfell Tower residents about safety following its refurbishment.
The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published last September, concluded that the disaster was the result of 'decades of failure' by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
MEGHAN'S SPEECH IN FULL
I'm so privileged to know you. Working on this project for the past nine months has been a tremendous labour of love. I have just recently moved to London and I felt so immediately embraced by the women in the kitchen, by your kindness and to be in this city and be in this room and see how multi-cultural it was.
On a personal level I feel so proud to live in a city with so much diversity. This whole country is represented by the people in the kitchen. It's pretty outstanding.
There's so many people to thank - I'm extremely grateful because this is my first project and I appreciate your support. It truly took a village to see this through. Everyone has embraced this so fully because it has been a passion project for us all.
As I said, this is more than a cookbook and what I mean by that is the power of food is more than just the meal itself, it is the story behind it. And when you get to know the story behind the recipe, you get to know the person behind it and help us celebrate what connects us rather than divides us. That is the ethos of Together.
Thank you so much for letting me be part of this and letting me be on this adventure with you, and I'm so excited to see the projects we will continue to do in your community and also how you will inspire people globally by sharing your stories and your recipes. It's so impactful. You can see in just a few days alone what's happened and the book's not out yet.
What you have been able to do is a testament to what that means to people. I'm so proud of you.
So on that note I know that some of you have started eating, as you should. I'd be the last one to want to let the food get cold so please enjoy your beautiful lunch and give another round of applause for the Hubb Community Kitchen. Thank you.
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