If this is your body language, you feel abused by your boss (based on the royals’ behavior)

During Oprah’s propulsive interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry last Sunday, the couple discussed the ill-treatment they experienced while apart of royal life. Whether you believe them or not, there may have been indications to support some degree of familial dysfunction before the bombshell interview even aired via their body language.

According to several body language experts who have reviewed interactions between Markle and her in-laws, there are reoccurring patterns that typically suggest strained relationships. Here’s how we can apply these findings to our day-to-day exchanges.

Non-verbal indicators of confidence versus discomfort

Body language expert, Judi James recently lent commentary to Prince William’s reaction to his brother’s sit down with Oprah.

“Is Prince William angry? His body language looks designed to conceal it if he is. His eye expression is still soft and there is no sign of a hard frown or a sharper vocal tone,” James explained. “The fact he answered at all is probably indicative of strong feelings and he clearly wanted to show firmness and even leadership, but his body language signals as he responds suggest a desire to stay in control and illustrate the Queen’s words of ‘love’ for Harry and Meghan in her written reply to the Oprah interview.”

This is particularly important as we prepare to reenter a normal work-life cycle; complete with in-person meetings and interviews.

Sometimes it’s important to take non-verbal cues into account when conducting a correspondence with a colleague or subordinate. This is true for an orator and an audience.

For those looking to convey emotional control (especially during stressful situations) the experts recommend adopting 4 main techniques:

1. Maintain good posture.
2. Keep your palms open.
3. Use effective eye contact.
4. Be responsive.

“The speed of his {William’s} reply could suggest strong emotions but he seems to try to play it down here, looking firm but also still fond at the same time, like a big brother who intends to speak to a sibling about breaking house rules,” James adds. “He also plays with his face-mask, suggesting the use of a barrier ritual that could signal the end of the conversation. William turns his head, raises his brows, and uses a head-baton to make his reply look firm and emphatic.”

We can’t speak to William’s mind in this, but his performance demonstrates how we can imprint impressions in the minds of others by tempering physical impulses.

“If you have a nervous habit like jiggling your leg or tapping the table, do your best to suppress it. Restless habits can be distracting and may demonstrate nervousness or disinterest. Maintain excellent posture while walking and firmly hold on to your belongings so you don’t drop anything,” Indeed’s Career Guide wrote in a recent post.

Less formally, experts have noted body language expressed between Markle and Prince Harry that is indicative of a strong, positive relationship.

“I’ve read hundreds of photos of them,” body language expert, Patti Wood said in a press release. “Whenever he’s talking, she is looking at him. If they can touch, they will touch.”

“So if people are wondering, well, how are they doing now as a couple? They’re there for each other, they’re supportive of each other. They’re used to gaining comfort from each other.”

In polite society, it’s not always easy to determine when our company is being poorly received. According to Jon Rhodes, a clinical hypnotherapist, a person who is merely entertaining our presence may turn their head towards us while we speak but their “feet and body are saying they want to get away from you.”

Lip biting, and crossed legs and arms are additional predictors that someone is having a bad time. These are so revealing because they’re not comfortable ways to posture ourselves. They’re often unintended but honest reactions to stimuli. Similarly, a smile that doesn’t go all the way up to one’s eyes often outs it as a feigned one.

Many body language experts have identified genuine gestures of emotional strength between Markle and Harry by way of similar metrics as the ones cited above.

This may be why a growing majority has doubts about Markle’s positive comments with respect to Queen Elizabeth.

“At the very beginning of the interview Oprah introduces the queen, and Meghan actually showed complex, negative vocal and gesture clusters about her,” Wood continued.

“She kind of growled. And when she says that [the queen] was one of the first people I met, she looks down and she grimaces. She does a tongue thrust. It’s a beautiful example of how the non-verbals revealed how she really felt and the stories that contradicted it.”