Prince Harry’s repeated moves to hold wife, Meghan Markle’s, hand at public events have become the subject of a new viral video, after fans have praised the couple ahead of their sixth wedding anniversary next month.
Harry and Meghan’s public displays of affection while out and about, whether attending official royal ceremonies or private events, have earned them both praise and criticism over the course of their relationship.
Once moment where the couple holding hands made them the focus of negative attention was during the mourning events for the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Harry took Meghan’s hand while the couple exited Westminster Hall prior to the monarch’s state funeral, which led to some social media users and commentators accusing them of showing disrespect for the solemnity of the occasion. This was again highlighted during the funeral itself, despite President Joe Biden and the first lady walking into Westminster Abbey for the event also holding hands.
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Some critics of the duke and duchess have also accused Meghan of overly holding onto her husband during events, something the new viral video uploaded by user, bright_zwide, on April 17 references.
The video includes a compilation of clips taken from the couple’s public appearances, with Harry repeatedly extending his hand to take Meghan’s. Several clips were captured at their most recent joint appearance, for the Royal Salute Polo Challenge at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Florida on April 12.
Captioned “Meg found her Mr. Right,” the clip has been viewed more than 250,000 times on the social media platform so far, gaining in excess of 23,000 likes and over 2,000 comments.
“That’s not ‘clinging’….that’s love & respect,” wrote one TikTok user.
“She got herself a real Prince Charming and he got a beautiful woman who really loves him,” posted another, with a further comment reading: “He us such a protector and she allows herself to be protected. So so beautiful.”
In addition to recent clips from the couple’s polo sojourn in Florida, the TikTok video also includes footage from their first large-scale royal tour in 2018, undertaken just months after their wedding.
Harry and Meghan married at St. George’s Chapel in the precinct of Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018, and at the end of the year undertook a tour on behalf of Elizabeth to Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji.
Prior to their trip, it was announced that Meghan was expecting the couple’s first child, and throughout the tour Harry’s attentiveness towards his wife was eagerly spotted by fans and royal watchers.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, Prince William and Kate Middleton, 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.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.