Prince Harry refuses to hold Meghan Markle"s hand… as she appears to break royal etiquette again

MEGHAN Markle was left hanging as Prince Harry rebuffed her attempts to hold his hand this week.

The Duchess of Sussex, 36, moved her hand in her husband’s direction at the Young Leaders Reception at Buckingham Palace – but he quickly clasped his hands away from her.

ITV

Meghan attempted to hold Prince Harry"s hand at the Young Leaders Reception at Buckingham Palace but he was having none of it

In the clip, the lovebirds briefly brush hands before Prince Harry moves his hands in front of him.

While it may seem like a snub on Prince Harry’s behalf, he is actually following traditional etiquette.

Body language expert Robin Kermode previously 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.”

He spoke of Kate Middleton and Prince William avoiding hand-holding, and said: “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.”

Prince Harry appeared to rebuff his wife"s attempts and moved his hands away to clasp them in front of him

The seemingly awkward moment between Meghan and Prince Harry may have been subconscious, or they could have simply been showing respect for the Queen.

Fans have been quick to jump to Meghan"s defence, with one social media user writing "she isn"t trying to hold his hand" and another saying "Leave the girl alone".

There have been some exceptions to the hand-holding rule, however, such as a Christmas Day service at Sandringham.

Prince William arrived hand in hand with the Duchess of Cambridge, next to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The former actress also came under fire for crossing her legs in front of the Queen at the bash.

The crossing of the legs is a sitting position that is rarely used by the royals.

In fact, Kate Middleton’s uncrossed leg position even has its own nickname, “The Duchess slant”, and was also used by Princess Diana.

Reuters

Meghan also came under fire at the event for crossing her legs in front of the Queen

Reuters

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Usually Meghan and Harry are a lot more affectionate in their body language towards each other than Harry"s older brother and sister-in-law.

Royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told People: "While Prince Harry and Meghan holding hands is atypical for royal engagements, it is a seemingly welcomed gesture to show unity and celebration of their engagement period.

"There is no protocol that says they can not show affection on official engagements, and this gesture makes them relatable and lovable to the public.”

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Meghan Markle joins the Queen and Prince Harry for the Young Leaders awards at Buckingham Palace