SUSSEX SIGN
Meghan Markle’s secret power play, as body language reveals she is ‘no longer the Invictus plus one’ but a ‘lead’
It's been a busy week for the Sussexes with the announcement of a new podcast and website
MEGHAN Markle gave signs to show she is "no longer just an Invictus plus one" next to Prince Harry as they promoted the 2025 games, according to a body language expert.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Whistler, British Columbia, to mark one year until the Invictus Games are held there in 2025.
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Judi James observed that it was "dominant" Meghan taking the lead as they met with competitors and officials at the event on Wednesday.
The body language pro told Fabulous: “What we are seeing with Meghan and Harry now is a change in the dynamic of them as a power couple.
"That might be because maybe Meghan is holding the fort a little bit, maybe understanding how her partner is feeling.
"Or it might be because she's naturally confident anyway, it's very much her kind of thing.
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"Even in this arrival, it's so easy to see that Meghan is no longer his plus one at Invictus.
"It used to be these were Harry's games, and Meghan was there being very charming but not taking the lead.
"Here we are seeing a different version of their power dynamic.
"It's the Meghan show on the road as Harry was following behind her and again that would be a turnaround in royal terms, and in Invictus terms."
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She added: "The power is with Meghan."
Judi revealed that Meghan frequently touching Prince Harry's back shows "high status but loving authority to say 'don't forget it's my turn in a minute'".
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle try winter sports on ‘special’ Canada Invictus trip in first appearance since rebrand
Understandably with the snow, the pair were dressed in practical attire, including Meghan wearing $240 (£190) Sorel Joan of Arctic snow boots.
While she looked every inch a snow queen and was "beautifully turned out", Judi pointed out that Harry seemed more “casual”.
Prince Harry understandably has a lot on his mind, with his father King Charles’ recent cancer diagnosis.
Following the announcement, the Duke of Sussex, 39, jetted to London to see his father last Tuesday.
He was pictured arriving at London Heathrow at 1.30pm on Wednesday - just 26 hours after landing.
His whistlestop trip was followed by his handing out an award at the 2024 NFL Honors in Las Vegas on Thursday.
During the Valentine’s Day outing, Harry, 39, was given a demonstration of how to sit-ski while Meghan, 42, waited for him at the bottom of the slope.
The couple chatted and joked around as they mingled with groups of sit-skiers, standing skiers and visually impaired athletes.
Among those they spoke with was Canadian para-alpine sit-skier Alex Cairns.
Born with Spina Bifida, the 32-year-old competed at his first Paralympic Winter Games in 2018.
He and Meghan are today expected to attend a wheelchair curling demonstration in nearby Vancouver.
This comes as Meghan has announced she will launch her new podcast months after her £18million deal with Spotify fell through last June.
The Sussexes launched their new website, Sussex.com, just 24 hours after, alongside a new striking portrait photo taken by her friend Misan Harriman.
While in Canada, Harry is expected to tell crowds in a speech how much the country means to the royal duo, according to .
He fell in love with the "pace of life" on Vancouver Island when he and Meghan moved into an £11million mansion there after quitting royal life.
Harry wrote in his memoir Spare that the island offered him a ";taste of freedom".
He wrote: "What if life could be like that … all the time? What if we could spend at least part of each year somewhere far away, still doing work for the Queen, but beyond the reach of the press?
"If we could just find a place the press didn't know about, we said, Canada might be the answer.
"Meg got in touch with a Vancouver friend, who connected us with an estate agent, and we started looking at houses."
Meanwhile, Meghan lived in Toronto for six years while filming the TV series Suits.
Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014 for international wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans.
The Vancouver Whistler games - which are due to take place between February 8 and 16 next year- are to be the first winter sporting event in Invictus history.
Harry & Meghan ‘change Archie and Lilibet’s names to Sussex’
By Jane Matthews
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have changed Archie and Lilibet's names as they move to "unify" the family, a source has claimed.
The children had been known as Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.
But since the King's coronation, the children are now Archie and Lilibet Sussex.
News of the change coincides with the couple launching their new website Sussex.com, which sources say was a bid to "unify" the family.
But Harry and Meghan have been fiercely criticised for the site, with one royal expert slamming them for "cashing in" on their royal ties.
The children will both go by the last name Sussex in a "proud moment" for the family which represents their "unification".
An insider told : “The reality behind the new site is very simple — it’s a hub for the work the Sussexes do and it reflects the fact the family have, since the King’s coronation, the same surname for the first time.
"That’s a big deal for any family. It represents their unification and it’s a proud moment.”
Events will include alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, skeleton, wheelchair curling, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby.
The 2025 event will be held in British Columbia, Canada, and will see up to 550 competitors from around 25 nations take part in the sporting challenges.
This week, Meghan and Harry could take part in activities at the Participating Nations Winter Training Camp.
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They are expected to also meet with members of the Invictus community, including team managers, coaches, and competitors.
It hasn't been confirmed whether they will bring their two kids, Archie, four, and Lilibet, two, to Canada.
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