Meghan Markle made Prince Harry look "awkward" with a "failed" gesture during their visit to New York City, according to...
Meghan Markle made Prince Harry look "awkward" with a "failed" gesture during their visit to New York City, according to a body language expert.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled to NYC on Tuesday as they hosted the Archewell Foundation Parents' Summit as part of Project Healthy Minds' World Mental Health Day Festival. During their visit, the couple met with parents whose children had died as a result of mental health challenges related to social media use.
In a video from the event, which was shared on TikTok, Meghan and Harry were seen greeting their guests. After Meghan spoke to one woman, a man walked past and leant in to shake Harry's hand. However, Meghan stepped forward and embraced him instead.
Body language expert Judi James said the couple seem to be prone to making awkward mistakes. "It's always trickier than it looks for royals getting the choreography right in public and it takes a lot of work making visits and appearances look as smooth as the Firm do.
"Now they have non-royal status Harry and Meghan seem more prone to small choreography 'fails' like this and it seems from this clip and the one at the Kevin Costner event that it's Meghan who steps up to take the lead," she told The Mirror exclusively. Judi said Meghan's gesture "leaves Harry looking a bit awkward here."
The expert added: "Meghan has actively hugged one woman but the next guy goes for a handshake with Harry although somehow Meghan steps forward spontaneously for a hug at around the same time, leaving Harry seeming to drop his hand. This makes it a truncated gesture, which is not something he will have been used to give, given his previous royal status. He turns the gesture into something else, rubbing his nose instead but looking a little awkward in the process."
The Archewell Foundation's Parents' Summit addressed the impact that social media can have on the mental health of young people. It allowed Harry and Meghan to provide a platform for parents to navigate mental health when it comes to the digital world. The Sussexes were hoping to raise awareness on how to make online usage a safer space for both parents and their children.
