Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were very tactile, but there was one incident when the duke ignored his wife’s effort to hold hands.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle couldn’t get their hands off each other. They were always holding hands or locking fingers even during official engagements. But, there was a particular incident when the Duke of Sussex wasn’t into it.
Prince Harry snubbed Meghan Markle
In June 2018, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined Queen Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards ceremony.
Meghan Markle attempted to hold Prince Harry’s hand by reaching out to his direction. However, the duke opted to bring his arms together near the center of his body and continued to walk as if nothing happened.
One should note that the senior royals rarely pack on PDA. Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, and Prince William and Kate Middleton, don’t hold hands as often as Prince Harry and Markle do.
Expert explained incident
The royals do not have rules prohibiting the couple to touch each other in public. However, according to body language expert Robin Kermode, it’s more of a “precedent” set by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
“The Queen rarely holds hands with her husband in public and this seems to have set an unwritten precedent for the other royals,” Kermode wrote.
“It is very clear that William and Kate are emotionally close, however, they do not seem to feel the need to prove their love — particularly when on official state business.”
Meghan Markle received various criticisms
On the same outing, Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, was also criticized for the way she sat. She crossed her legs which apparently, something that royals don’t do.
Etiquette expert William Hanson defended Markle. According to him, the former Suits star did not disrespect the Queen by her sitting position.
“There was nothing disrespectful about HRH The Duchess of Sussex’s seating position last night,” Hanson explained.
“She had chosen to use the traditional ‘finishing school’ technique of crossing one leg over the other, resting one ankle against the edge of the shin.”
Where are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to step back from their royal roles in January. They officially became non-working royals in April.
There were rumors that Queen Elizabeth II begged Prince Harry to leave Markle to save the royal family. But, there was no proof to support those claims.
Also, some believed that the couple would eventually divorce. There are speculations that now that Markle is back in Los Angeles she will divorce Prince Harry. The actress will allegedly leave him broke and broken-hearted.
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