Prince Harry and Meghan’s ‘tension’ gesture spotted at NBA date night
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen courtside at the NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles over Valentine’s weekend, where a body language expert suggested the couple briefly displayed signs of tension despite appearing affectionate and in sync throughout the evening.
At the Intuit Dome on Sunday night, Hello Magazine reported that both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex simultaneously held one wrist with the opposite hand, a gesture described by expert Inbaal Honigman as “self-soothing” and potentially signalling frustration or restraint in response to the cameras and the crowd.
According to Ms Honigman, Meghan’s smile appeared “perfectly lovely”, with raised cheeks creating a “full-face smile”, and the couple looked “aligned” overall. However, she noted the mirrored wrist-holding was unusual because the pair typically present different body language even when sitting close together, and she also pointed to Prince Harry “curling his fingers” at another moment as a possible sign of tension.
The outing comes as the Duke continues public engagements in the US, including a recent appearance where he became emotional while speaking with British families in Los Angeles about online harm affecting children.
Prince Harry and Meghan stepped back as working royals in 2020 and now live in Montecito, California, with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and their public appearances are often closely scrutinised for cues about how they are handling life in the spotlight.
