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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are often spotted holding hands in public, a move that one body language expert said allows the two to silently communicate to one another. The expert noted how Harry and Meghan “feel inwardly secure in a loving team of two” while holding hands.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle body language compared to Prince William and Kate Middleton following service for the queen
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, and Kate Middleton | AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, Pool

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle communicate silently with one simple gesture, expert explained

Harry and Meghan held hands following a service for Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Hall — the move didn’t break royal protocol, however.

Body language expert Judi James shared how the Sussexes’ “ritual” is a “secret trick” to communicate with each other.

James explained to The Sun, “Meghan and Harry’s hand-hold ritual enables them to communicate quite complex messages to one another silently and without the need for eye contact.”

The expert pointed out how the couple had been apart as Meghan traveled separately by car to the service and Harry walked in the royal procession. After the service, they left in the line of royal family members, where they joined hands on the way out.

“It is clearly a vital gesture for them, as we saw the immediate re-bonding yesterday at the end of a very emotional service,” James said.

The hand holding makes Harry and Meghan ‘feel inwardly secure,’ according to the body language expert

James noted how holding hands “sends a social message of close bonding. She noted, “But it also sends an intrapersonal message to the couple themselves, allowing them to feel inwardly secure in a loving team of two.”

She continued, “Sometimes they use the clasp in the way that celebrities tend to, with Meghan walking slightly behind while Harry places his hand on top in a signal of being in control of that particular situation.”

James further explained, “We see this from many celebrity couples, like the Beckhams or Kardashians and it looks protective as well as allowing for the woman’s slightly slower stride when she’s wearing high heels.”

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Expert shared additional silent signals Harry and Meghan use

The body language expert also noted that the couple will “use the meshed fingered clasp, where their fingers are evenly intertwined” as well. “This is the most intimate hand clasp and a much more even one,” James explained. “It signals a deep desire for closeness and it is often the first one to go when a couple have been together for a long time.”

There are also “add-on silent signals to one another” that you might notice if looking closely.

“As they stood looking at the flowers at Windsor, Harry’s fingers in the clasp were dangling down and wriggling, suggesting tension or anxiety and Meghan responded by stroking his hand with her thumb in a gesture of reassurance,” she explained.

James said “subtler add-on squeezes or tugs within clasps” might go unnoticed, as “many couples use a similar method of ‘speaking’ to each other silently.”

The body language expert said these quiet signals might be “messaging anything from comfort and love to ‘we need to leave this party right now!’ or ‘This conversation is boring me!’”

Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.