Meghan Markle Was Reprimanded For Trying To Do This With Prince Harry In Public

Meghan Markle was reprimanded for more than one reason last June after attending Queen Elizabeth II’s Young Leaders Awards Ceremony. After getting flack for supposedly copying her sister-in-law Kate Middleton’s signature hairstyle, fans also noticed the Duchess of Sussex’s apparent failure to hold her then newfound husband’s hand during the Buckingham Palace event.

As reported by The Daily Mail at the time, Meghan was recorded apparently trying to grasp Prince Harry’s hand during the special occasion. But before being able to do so, the footage (at the 36-second mark below) shows the Duke of Sussex appearing to pull his hand away from her.

While there is no specific rule that states royal family members cannot hold hands in public, body language expert Robin Kermode told The Daily Mail in 2017 that the Queen set a precedent that has deemed the action as “inappropriate.”

“The Queen rarely holds hands with her husband in public and this seems to have set an unwritten precedent for the other royals,” he said.

While Prince Harry appeared to deny Meghan’s attempt at hand-holding during the June 2018 event, the couple has held hands during multiple royal events in years past. The couple famously grasped each other’s hands after announcing their engagement in 2017. During a stop at the Joff Youth Centre in the UK in October 2018, the couple was photographed smiling and holding hands. Most recently, the duo was seen holding hands during their visit to New Zealand House in London in March after signing the book of condolence.