Body-language expert says Prince Harry ‘collapsed like a souffle’ as Meghan interrupts during New York interview

A body-language expert described Prince Harry as having collapsed like a souffle after Meghan Markle repeatedly interrupted him during a 2023 roundtable at Marcy Lab School in New York City, a moment captured as the couple promoted education and mental health.

The clip shows Meghan taking the lead on several topics, with Harry attempting to interject but repeatedly being cut off. Meghan’s emphasis on education dominated the conversation, and Harry appears to yield more quickly as the exchange unfolds. The event occurred during a broader itinerary that year, ahead of the Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit: Mental Wellness in a Digital Age planned for Hudson Yards in New York.

According to Judi James, a long-standing body-language expert quoted by the Daily Mail, Meghan’s interruptions are among the most visible drivers of public tension in couples who appear together in high-profile settings. James described Meghan as a more compelling speaker than Harry in public appearances, and she suggested that interruptions in public can be perceived as rude or demeaning when they occur during business or social events. "Interrupting each other indoors can pass for an enthusiastic desire to communicate casually and spontaneously, but when one interrupts the other when they are in public, at a social or business event, it can look or feel rude, status-lowering and demeaning," James said.

The expert outlined the concept of non-verbal tie-signs—small signals that partners traditionally use to indicate a desire to speak or join in without breaking the flow of the current speaker. James noted that couples often rely on subtle cues such as a touch or a posture shift to signal a turn at the microphone, helping to maintain balance in dialogue. In the interview, however, James argues that Meghan tends toward more overt cues, such as visible pats, strokes, or steering gestures, which can transmit a message of taking control of the conversation.

"Meghan is clearly the more engaging and compelling speaker, which means that what we also see here is her taking over from Harry to then raise the pace of the communication; add energy, and to speak in a more powerful, engaging way," James told the publication. She also argued that the timing and nature of Meghan’s interruptions can be interpreted as a critique of Harry’s contributions, particularly when she closes with high-impact terms such as 'education' to emphasize the topic and amplify the momentum of her own point.

The analysis notes visible shifts in Harry’s own body language as interruptions occur. During the first interruption that follows Meghan’s lead, Harry is described as active and expressive, using emphatic hand gestures. As Meghan interrupts again, he is said to detach from the conversation: his gaze drifts, his left hand lingers in the air, and his facial expressions soften into a more restrained response. James described a later moment in which Harry’s reaction includes a nose touch and a micro-grimace, interpreted as a possible sign of assessment, disagreement, or discomfort with the interruption dynamics. In royal public settings, such cues can be read as a reluctance to engage when the flow of dialogue is disrupted.

After Meghan resumes speaking, she delivers a broad, gracious smile to the audience, a move James says is sometimes used to recenter attention onto the speaker and maintain engagement with observers. The clip’s cadence shifts as Meghan again takes the floor with the word 'education,' and Harry’s response appears to be one of reduced participation, a sensation of catching up rather than leading the conversation.

Beyond the moment itself, the interview is part of a larger pattern the couple have developed since stepping back from full-time royal duties. Meghan has frequently been the more dominant voice in public-facing conversations, with Harry often providing context or responding to questions but occasionally yielding the floor. The dynamics have been the subject of extensive media attention, with observers noting how cadence, emphasis, and non-verbal signals shape public perception of their partnership.

The Marcy Lab School appearance took place in October 2023, during a visit to New York City that also involved discussions related to education and mental health. Marcy Lab School has described its mission as preparing young adults of color for tech careers in a year-long program, presenting itself as an alternative to a traditional college pathway. The venue was a precursor to a broader Archewell Foundation initiative, as the couple prepared for subsequent appearances tied to educational and wellness themes in digital-age life.

The reporting on the event and the accompanying body-language analysis come from coverage compiled by the Daily Mail, which cited James’s assessment of the moment. While experts can illuminate patterns of communication, the interpretation of non-verbal cues remains subject to context and personal perspective. The Daily Mail’s feature did not indicate that the analysis had additional corroboration from other outlets, and readers are encouraged to weigh the described dynamics against the broader body of public appearances by the couple.

In the end, the episode serves as a concrete example of how public performances—especially those involving high-profile couples—can be read through the shapes of interaction as much as through the words spoken. The moments captured at Marcy Lab School illustrate the ongoing conversation about how Meghan and Harry navigate a shared public platform, balancing leadership and collaboration in a setting designed to spotlight education, innovation, and mental wellness in a digital age.