The REAL reason why Meghan Markle is ‘hands on’ with Prince Harry:

The REAL reason why Meghan Markle is ‘hands on’ with Prince Harry: Duchess’s ‘double clutch’ is a ‘gesture of ownership’, body language expert says

Meghan Markle is never afraid to be tactile with her husband in public.

The Duchess of Sussex is regularly seen tightly grasping Prince Harry’s hand, or comforting him with a soft palm on his back.

Now, body language expert Judi James has revealed the deeper meaning behind the importance the couple seem to place on physical touch in public.

The Duchess uses various tactile methods to communicate with her husband and Ms James suggests this is because of their need to signal to one another.

There is the ‘double clutch’ that sees Meghan hold her husband with both hands and could be a ‘gesture of possession’, Ms James said.

And Meghan is also a fan of putting her hand on Harry’s knee, a ‘sensual’ move that Ms James said is another ‘signal of ownership’ and display of ‘physical attraction’.

Meghan Markle smiles as she touches Prince Harry’s knee during their visit to Colombia last month
Top moments from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Colombian tour.

The Duchess looks up as she holds her husband’s arm and hand in Colombia last months
The ‘double clutch’
The couple’s recent trip to Colombia isn’t the first time Meghan has clasped her husband’s arm and hand at the same time.

When she first performed the gesture during their engagement announcement in 2017, Judi said ‘it had and still has a multi-media message purpose’.

‘This extra clingy clutch shows a desire to keep Harry close,’ Ms James said.

Meghan holding Harry’s arm and hand in what body language expert Judi James referred to as a ‘double clutch’ during their engagement announcement in 2017

‘More recently though it looks like a gesture of possession or a boast of ownership, as in “He’s mine”.

‘It suggests he is her priority but it also allows for a small sensual ritual if her fingertips are touching his bare arm.’

The ‘possessive’ gesture was displayed at the ESPY Awards in July too, when the couple posed with former tennis player Serena Williams.
She often will hold his arm, rather than his hands. Ms James said: ‘Meghan’s clutch on his bicep shows a “surrendered” approval of his manliness and strength’.

Though Meghan is letting her husband lead, the gentle touch still allows her to ‘remain part of the double act,’ Ms James added.

Harry founded the Invictus Games for wounded veterans and continues to be heavily involved.

Meghan has regularly joined her husband to the sporting events since her first public appearance with Harry in 2017, when they watched wheelchair tennis together.

Ms James says it is ‘the strongest form of hand linking’, giving them a ‘romantic couple’ appearance.

Ensuring they maintain how their relationship looks to the public could be important to the couple after they stepped down as working royals, and simple hand holding techniques play a part.

Ms James compared the situation to the former King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, who also left the UK after Edward abdicated from the throne.

Meghan holds Harry’s hand in hers as they meet with NATO Joint Force Command and families from Italy and Netherlands during day five of the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, September 2023

Meghan holds Harry’s hand in hers as they meet with NATO Joint Force Command and families from Italy and Netherlands during day five of the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, September 2023
Meghan holds her fiancé’s hand during their engagement announcement at Je in 2017

Meghan holds her fiancé’s hand during their engagement announcement at Je in 2017
She said: ‘Like Edward and Wallis there is a tendency to define and re-define their ongoing closeness and devotion to keep letting everyone know this was not a mistake.’

The body language expert dubbed the gesture as the ‘hand sandwich’.

It previously featured during their engagement shoot, where Meghan looked up at her future husband while they both grinned.

Last year, she also clasped Harry’s hand with both of hers at an Invictus Games event in Germany, when the couple met with NATO Joint Force Command and families from Italy and Netherlands.

Hands on Harry’s knee
Meghan’s use of touch to communicate with her husband, aside from a desire for proximity, could also be a display of ‘physical attraction or a more maternal type of ownership,’ Ms James said.

The Duchess will sometimes place her hand on Harry’s thigh or knee when out together, including at the ESPY Awards Ceremony earlier this year.

The couple beamed as they sat together and Meghan, wearing a long white gown, put her hand on Harry’s knee in what could be seen as an ‘intimate or exclusive’ gesture.

It is something the Duchess has also used during Invictus Games events, including last year when they were riding in a buggy to watch the cycling in Dusseldorf, Germany.

In 2022, Meghan smiled as she placed a tender hand on her husband’s knee during an Invictus Games volleyball match while he chatted with her.

The Duchess smiles as she holds Harry’s leg while they attend a cycling event for the Invictus Games in Germany last year

The Duchess smiles as she holds Harry’s leg while they attend a cycling event for the Invictus Games in Germany last year
Meghan smiling as she places a tender hand on her husband’s knee during an Invictus Games volleyball match in 2022

Meghan smiling as she places a tender hand on her husband’s knee during an Invictus Games volleyball match in 2022
Hand on Harry’s back
Another possible maternal gesture displayed by Meghan is when she places her hand on Harry’s back.

This tactile communicative method was seen in 2018 on the Buckingham Palace balcony, after the recently-married couple had watched the RAF centenary flypast.

Both looked down while Meghan situated her hand on the centre of Harry’s back – something that Ms James said could be seen as a reassuring touch.

Meghan smiles and places her hand on Harry’s back as he hugs one of the founders of the One Young World Summit in 2022

Meghan smiles and places her hand on Harry’s back as he hugs one of the founders of the One Young World Summit in 2022
The Duchess wraps her arm around Harry’s back as they look at flowers left in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth on September 10, 2022