Meghan Markle tapping Kate Middleton on the hand as she attempted to take her seat during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip sparked a debate, with some fans arguing Meghan shouldn’t have made physical contact with the Princess of Wales, while others defended her.
The incident happened on just the second occasion in which the two royals had met each other since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit Britain for a new life in America more than two years earlier.
Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images
In the interim, Meghan and Harry had leveled damaging allegations at the monarchy during their March 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and other appearances.
As a result, royal fans have dissected Meghan’s interactions with Prince William and Kate in microscopic detail for any hint of where relations really stand between the couples.
In the latest example, TikTok users pawed over footage of Meghan Markle attempting to take her seat alongside Prince Harry for the queen’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey, in central London, on September 19, 2022.
The video was viewed 827k times and liked almost 5k times after it was posted on TikTok with the on-screen caption: “Kate’s reaction to Meghans hand tap—don’t touch me.”
There is no suggestion that Kate spoke the words “don’t touch me” and not everyone who saw the video was convinced that was the princess’ feeling at the time.
One wrote “what reaction,” and another said: “Reading too much into it,” while a third added: “I think you put the wrong thoughts in peoples mind because of your own hatred of these two women.”
Others though, were more persuaded: “Meg: *tapping* (Me First! I should be infront of you!)”
Days before the funeral, Meghan and Kate were seen face-to-face in public for the first time since the Sussexes quit the palace for a new life in America.
Meghan and Harry joined William and Kate to meet the public at Windsor Castle, where people had flocked to pay their respects, on September 10.
Past body language analysis has focused on whether there was tension in the interaction between the couples as they inspected tributes, and as the engagement finished and they prepared to go their separate ways.
Ultimately, only the four royals know whether they actually came close to tensions bubbling over during a period of royal mourning.
Either way, the existence of those tensions is indisputable after Harry acknowledged during an interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes in January that he no longer speaks to his brother.
Asked whether they speak or text, Harry replied: “Uh, currently, no. But I look forward to us being able to find peace.” Asked how long it had been, he replied: “Um, a while.”
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.