It’s an unspoken royal rule that Prince William and Kate Middleton have down to a tee: no PDA in public. But it’s a lesson Meghan Markle learned the hard way at a recent royal event, when her husband avoided holding her hand when she reached out for his.
As evidenced in this video obtained by The Sun, the unfortunate moment occurred at the Young Leaders Reception at Buckingham Palace. Markle reaches for Prince Harry’s hand, prompting him to quickly move his hands away and hold them in front of his body instead – a bit of an awkward stance when you’re still walking.
Of course, this doesn’t mean there’s trouble in paradise – Prince Harry is simply adhering to royal etiquette in the Queen’s presence. As body language expert Robin Kermode told the MailOnline, “The Queen rarely holds hands with her husband in public and this seems to have set an unwritten precedent for the other royals.”
“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,” she adds.
Speaking on Kate Middleton and Prince William’s lack of PDA, royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told PEOPLE, “There is no actual etiquette or royal protocol that says the couple must refrain from PDA.”
“The likely reasoning is more that while traveling on a tour such as the India trip, technically the couple are working representatives of British Monarchy. The couple are likely to show very little PDA, if any, to remain professional during their designated roles abroad.”
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