Prince Harry Ignores Meghan Markle's Effort To Hold Hands During Latest Engagement

Meghan Markle reportedly tried to hold Prince Harry's hands in their recent engagement together.

On Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accompanied Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Young Leaders Awards ceremony. During the outing, Markle apparently tried to hold Prince Harry's hand.

According to Caitlyn Hitt, a journalist for Daily Mail, the new duchess is under fire for trying to hold hands with her husband in public. In a clip, which Hitt said features the "moment in question," Markle sticks her hand out in Prince Harry's direction. However, when her hand got near her husband's arm, the duke brought his arms together near the center of his body and they walked as if nothing happened.

Prince Harry and Markle packed on PDA in their previous royal engagements. However, royals are reportedly not encouraged to do so. In fact, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince William and Middleton rarely show physical affection when in public.

"The Queen rarely holds hands with her husband in public and this seems to have set an unwritten precedent for the other royals," body language expert Robin Kermode said. "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."

During the same engagement, Markle was also slammed for crossing her legs. Women of the royal family don't cross their legs, but instead, they sit in what is called the duchess slant. Many deemed it as an act of disrespecting the monarch.

However, according to etiquette expert William Hanson, Markle didn't disrespect the Queen. Her sitting position was just fine and there was nothing wrong with it.

"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."

In related news, according to an insider, the Duchess of Sussex gets along well with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. In fact, they have a warm and close relationship and the former actress "wants to please them and is doing whatever she can to educate herself to make sure she doesn't put a foot wrong."