Meghan Markle is Proficient at Dazzling Others Upon First Impression, Etiquette Expert Says—and We Can Adopt Her Method

(Image credit: Getty)

published 31 July 2023

Amongst her many talents, one etiquette expert recently pointed out that Meghan Markle has a knack for making a great first impression, and it’s a skill any of us can apparently learn. Renowned etiquette guru Myka Meier said of Meghan, per OK, that the Duchess of Sussex “is excellent at making a great first impression, and there are some techniques that we often spot her using that you can use at your next party, too. From her posture to her facial movements, there is a science behind the Markle charm, and anyone can learn it.”

Step one? Meier said that Markle holds her clutch bag in her left hand in order to make her right hand available for handshakes, which makes Markle appear to be the “most approachable” person in the room. “It also saves Meghan from the awkwardness of having to switch hands when introducing herself to new people,” per The Mirror.

Step two should be a pretty fun one: “When you enter a room and after you are introduced to everyone, hold a drink,” Meier said. “It makes you appear more social and approachable at a party.”

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Step three—make people feel important. How do we do this? Use people’s names—it builds an instant rapport—and mirror their body language to help others feel significant. “This reinforces the notion that everyone is respected” by Meghan, The Mirror writes.

Step four is smiling with an open grin, which Meier said makes one appear more “likeable”: “We often see on video when Meghan walks into a room to greet others, she follows the formula eyes open and mouth open,” Meier said. “While doing this when entering a room, it shows likability, openness, and receptiveness, and often captures on camera well for still photographs, too.”

Markle also possesses “stellar posture,” Meier said, “no matter if she is sitting or standing.” To achieve this, she suggested keeping your shoulders rolled back and chin parallel to the floor. Markle also employs a relatability trick surrounding posture, with The Daily Express reporting that, if someone leans back or forward while chatting with her, “she will mimic that posture to make the other person feel at ease,” the outlet writes.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.