Meghan Markle’s sweet compliment to Zara Tindall as they left royal engagement

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have spent very little time in the UK since quitting their royal roles in favour of a new life in the US, but they’ve made it back for a handful of big occasions.

While Harry returned for his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021, Meghan’s first big public reunion with the royals came at the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year. There was much speculation about whether the Sussex family would attend due to their frosty relationship with Harry’s family – especially the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The celebration, marking Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne, came a year after Meghan and Harry made a series of shocking allegations against the Royal Family in their tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview.

Despite a four-day weekend of events, Meghan and Harry only attended one event – the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral.

While their appearance was brief, they had time to have a quick catch-up with Harry’s cousin Zara and her husband Mike.

The two couples were seen chatting on the Cathedral’s steps after the religious service as they waited for their cars, and a lip reader has confirmed exactly what was said – including Meghan’s sweet compliment to Zara.

Lip reader Juliet Sullivan believes that Harry and Zara exchanged a few words about where their cars were, reports Mail Online.

He then told his older cousin: ‘”Love your outfit. I didn’t know what colours you would wear blue, pink, orange.”

Meghan then adds: “You look great.”

But the eyes of all royal fans were on Harry and William, with people keen to see if the brothers crossed paths during the event. However they were kept apart at all times and given seats at different sides of the cathedral.

Speaking at the time, body language expert Judi James said that despite the physical distance William still adopted a “barrier gesture”.

She told The Mirror: “Harry looked firmly resigned to the back row here and was not sitting behind his brother as he was for the last service of remembrance.

“Harry’s expression did suggest some relief as he joked with Zara as he searched for his car on the way out and he threw a wide, open-mouthed grin in her direction from the pews, but otherwise he fell into a haunted eye expression with some rapid blinking to suggest inner anxiety, leaning in and down to Meghan when she spoke as though keen to get some support.

“There was the opposite to an acknowledgement from William as he walked past Harry’s row during the parade out of the service.

“Sucking in his lips and with his chin pulled up in a gesture of resolve he appeared to turn his head in the other direction for a moment, raising his order of service high in a barrier gesture.”

Meanwhile, Judi noted that Meghan’s appearance was “as perfect as it could have been under difficult circumstances”.

She said: “Her posture was upright and her smile was designed for a calm but low-key appearance.

“While Harry’s emotions and behaviour seemed to fluctuate between subdued and anxious and odd moments of fun break-outs that looked like another symptom of inner anxiety or tension, Meghan used a small touch on his back as what looked like the only other PDA than their signature hand clasp.”