Holding hands is always a wholesome expression of love, right?
Unless you're a member of the royal family, where it can be highly controversial.
A body language expert explained to us what it all really means.
It was adorned with medals, but Prince Harry wore an otherwise standard suit during the
September 14, 2022, memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall.
It was a reminder that he has departed the royal family in an official capacity.
Because he is no longer a working royal, Harry has been told that he is not allowed to attend
events in his military uniform.
"For certain events moving forward, working royals are going to wear military uniforms.
So that obviously excludes Prince Andrew and it excludes Prince Harry."
For many, Harry's body language served as another reminder of just how much his life
has changed since he left the regimented life of a working royal behind.
As he and his wife, "Suits" star Meghan Markle, exited Westminster Hall, they held hands.
Some social media users were outraged by this show of affection.
One critic tweeted,
"Harry and Markle holding hands while exiting Westminster Hall is one of the most disrespectful
things I've ever witnessed."
Another wrote,
"Unsurprising as they never fail to disrespect the protocol and the queen."
Even with those complaints, royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told People that members
of the royal family aren't actually forbidden from holding hands in public.
And the Daily Mail pointed out that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex weren't the only royals
who walked hand-in-hand at the event — Zara Tindall, the queen's eldest granddaughter,
and her husband Mike, did as well.
Protocol aside, some of the Sussexes' critics also took issue with the way Meghan Markle
and Prince Harry were holding hands.
One tweeted,
"She's got her thumb over his, so you know who's in charge."
But Nicole Moore, a body language expert and host of "Reality of Love" on BSpokeTV, told
Nicki Swift that Meghan's body language is actually an indication that she's serving
as a stabilizing force for her husband.
She explained,
"Prince Harry likely truly needs Meghan there to support him, pull him forward and help
him get through this difficult time."
One of Meghan and Harry's supporters pointed out on Twitter that Queen Elizabeth's funeral
procession took place the day before Harry's birthday.
So instead of preparing to celebrate in comfort, Harry found himself mourning his grandmother
while being subjected to a high level of public scrutiny.
By holding her husband's hand, Meghan was doing what she could to provide him with a
small amount of comfort during a time of great emotional turmoil.
Moore further explained,
"Their move to hold hands signifies that they put their personal relationship with each
other above what anyone else thinks, even when doing so will incur backlash.
The move can be summed up in one sentence — our love matters most, above all and we're
going to show it to each other no matter how inappropriate that looks to certain people."
"At the end of the day, they're human.
And if somebody needed some comforting, that's- they know what they were doing."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen holding hands quite often years before their royal
exit.
Harry's brother, Prince William, and his wife Kate Middleton haven't been spotted engaging
in the same shows of affection.
The Daily Mail observed that William and Kate avoided physical contact at the Westminster
Hall service.
Their lack of public displays of affection could be explained as feeling an obligation
to appear more professional, seeing as how Prince William is next in line to be king.
Still, Harry was also once a high-ranking member of the royal family, so why has he
always seemingly been comfortable holding hands with his wife?
According to Moore, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's affinity for walking hand-in-hand
says a lot about how they feel about each other.
She said,
"Holding hands in body language is often an indicator of a close emotional bond, a desire
for comfort and a desire for emotional connection.
They hold hands as closely as possible with hands tightly interlocked, indicating a very
strong emotional bond."
The gesture also serves as a way for the couple to put up "a united front," and they may need
each other's support now more than ever as they continue to be subjected to vitriol from
critics who get angry over seemingly every small movement.