Body language expert Judi James says the gesture is both 'cheeky' and 'flirty'
Having worked as an actress long before she joined the firm, Meghan Markle is a far cry from camera shy.
And royal watchers have noticed a rather unusual pose that the Duchess of Sussex frequently adopts when out and about – a cheeky tongue poke.
Pregnant Meghan, 37, has been spotted sticking out her tongue on several occasions both during public and private engagements.
Body language expert Judi James says that the gesture is a bid to come off as more approachable to the public, a trait adopted by her late mother-in-law.
Speaking to Fabulous Digital she explains: “Meghan used this gesture when she was wearing her more formal royal clothing for the first time and this implies a desire to look funny and ‘real’ rather than stiff and starchy.
“Princess Diana used to employ similar, self-effacing traits as tie-signs to connect with her fans when she was appearing at very dressy royal events, often grinning and rolling her eyes at the cameras to show she was still natural and down-to-earth despite wearing a long gown and a tiara.”
Judi says that Meghan uses three types of ‘tongue-poke’ depending on the occasion, all with slightly different meanings.
During a visit to Brinsworth House in Twickenham she could be seem sticking her tongue out while helping to make Christmas decorations.
Judi comments: "By sticking part of her tongue out and clamping it between her teeth as she studies some papers on a table, Meghan uses a very childish gesture of concentration.
“Babies and small kids will often poke their tongue from their mouths when they’re thinking hard or working on something they find complex, probably because the tongue is covered with several sensitive nerve-endings and keeping it still like this can help avoid distraction.”
During her first engagement as a royal Meghan attended Prince Charles’ 70th birthday celebrations at Buckingham Palace where she showcased a ‘naughty’ tongue poke.
Judi explains: “In her very formal hat here Meghan performs the kind of tongue-poke that suggests a down-to-earth sense of naughty fun.
“The tongue is partly protruded but the upper lip is puckered and there is a very emphatic eye-smile to show she’s using the gesture as a tie-sign to share a chuckle with her fans.
“This type of poke can also be quite flirty, which is why she’ll often use it when Harry is watching.”
Her third and final type of tongue poke is her cheekiest according to Judi and was seen both at the wedding of and Meghan’s first Christmas at Sandringham.
She says: “This is the really cheeky tongue-poke, with Meghan raising her eyebrows and widening her eyes as she does it. It’s the sort of gesture that would get a mirrored response so she’s really working the empathy here, with a mutually childlike gesture.
“The tongue-poke that Meghan doesn’t use is the spontaneous poking of the tip of the tongue between the middle of clamped lips before or after speaking.
“This gesture often mimics a baby rejecting food and in an adult can suggest rejection, disgust or feeling intimidated.”
This comes as it was revealed that Trevor Engelson’s pal made a sly dig at Meghan during his stag do speech.
And in other royal news we revealed Kate Middleton ‘uses her handbag to send signals to her staff like the Queen’.
And we showed you bookies have slashed odds on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry having a royal baby girl after flurry of bets.
