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Whether walking the red carpet or cheering on a bride at an event, Meghan doesn’t shy away from being tactile with her companions.
Now, body language expert Judi James has revealed the different meanings behind the Duchess of Sussex’s touch tendency.
Meghan’s warm hugs with her friends and colleagues appear to have “different emotional functions,” James said.
He added that the duchess’s hugs project the message that she “is warm and very popular” while making the relationship “seem strong.”
The interactions appear to convey memorable “strong signals of affection” to the person receiving the hug, while offering “perhaps some social comfort that Meghan finds rewarding” in her busy social life.
Meghan also often shakes her husband’s hand in public, but James said it’s not the same “intense hug and hug” as with her friends.
Here, MailOnline reveals more of Ms James’s expert insight into the Duchess’s tactile communication.
Meghan puts her arm on the shoulder of Canadian television host Chloe Wilde at an event in Toronto in 2016.
Meghan holding hands with Prince Harry at the wedding of Daisy Jenks and Charlie van Straubenzee in 2018
Holding hands on the red carpet
Meghan attended a charity gala earlier this month with her close friend Kelly McKee Zajfen to support LA Children’s Hospital.
They were photographed smiling together and holding hands, while Meghan stood behind Kelly as they posed for the cameras.
According to James, holding your friends’ hands on your body could be a “barrier ritual.”
This seems to imply that “she sees her friend as a strong, protective presence,” the body language expert said, while “the double closure makes the support appear two-way.”
Harry did not attend the event with his wife. It comes after the couple made a series of separate plans, including the duke’s recent solo trips to Lesotho and London.
Meghan attended a charity gala earlier this month with her close friend Kelly McKee Zajfen
The two friends smile and hold hands in front of the cameras, with Meghan standing behind Kelly.
koala hug
In 2016, before the duchess met Prince Harry, Meghan attended a World Vision event in Toronto.
She was photographed hugging her former best friend Jessica Mulroney, who was a stylist to former Canadian first lady Sophie Trudeau.
Mrs James described the gesture as a “koala hug” and said “it’s quite a childish display”.
The women’s arms are wrapped around each other, which Ms. James described as making it seem like they “feel the need for protection from the rest of the world.”
James said the exhibit shows a strong bond between the women.
However, the couple fell out after Jessica became embroiled in a ‘white privilege’ dispute with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter in 2020.
Meghan and her former friend Jessica Mulroney embraced in a ‘koala hug’ at an event in Toronto in 2016
hand on the shoulder
In addition to close hugs and handshakes, Meghan also uses more casual tactile poses with her friends.
In 2016, she attended an event with Chloe Wilde and was photographed with her arm loose over the Canadian television host’s shoulder.
This gesture is “a sign of camaraderie or shared thought on camera,” Ms. James said.
It’s something Meghan echoed again last year with journalist and social activist Gloria Steinem at the Women of Vision Awards.
The Duchess put her hand on the shoulder of journalist and social activist Gloria Steinem earlier this year.
Shoulders and look
Taking her shoulder up a notch, Meghan was photographed in a ‘dominant-looking embrace’ with Rick Hoffman at the season five premiere of Suits in Los Angeles in 2016.
The duchess put both hands on the shoulders of the American actor and they both looked directly at each other.
Ms James described the gesture as “affectionately pinning the other person and using interrogative eye contact”.
He said it could suggest that one asks the other how they are, “asking about their health or their life and wanting to show that they really mean it.”
Meghan placing her hands on actor Rick Hoffman’s shoulders at the season five premiere of Suits in Los Angeles in 2016.
arm cradle
When Meghan attended the launch of her charity clothing collection in London in 2019, she greeted Misha Nonoo warmly.
The duchess hugged the fashion designer and the couple were photographed in what James describes as an “arm cradle” pose that is “often performed at the end of a more loving embrace ritual.”
She said: “It suggests a reluctance to separate plus a strong desire to talk or chat.”
Meghan holding the arms of designer Misha Nonoo at the launch of her charity clothing collection in London in 2019.
care package
In August, Meghan was also seen sharing a big hug with Kelly McKee Zajfen at the George Zajfen Tennis Tournament, in memory of her son.
It again signified the close bond between the couple, but this time Kelly’s daughter Lily was also caught in the embrace.
James described him as a “bundle of affection” and said Meghan seemed to be the one who “made the most effort to show the love.”
He added: “It’s the kind of hug you’d normally give after a long period of separation, with strong attachment cues that suggest how much you’ve missed someone.”
Meghan, Kelly and Lily hug at the George Zajfen tennis tournament earlier this year.
group hug
The Duchess has also been photographed sharing group hugs with her friends and colleagues in the past.
In 2013, Meghan posed with American actresses Gina Torres and Sarah Rafferty at a Suits event in Beverly Hills, California.
The trio hugged each other and smiled for the cameras, leaning in and laughing together.
Ms James described the scene as having “hen party vibes” and added: “It suggests close relationships that might have involved lots of partying in the past and shared memories now.”
Meghan posing with American actresses Gina Torres and Sarah Rafferty at a Suits event in Beverly Hills, California, in 2013.
Meghan shares a hug with women she worked with at Hubb Community Kitchen in 2018
In a different context, Meghan shared a hug with women she worked with at Hubb Community Kitchen in west London in 2018.
Together they had launched a charity cookbook, supporting families affected by the devastating Grenfell Tower fire.
The body language expert said the scene was “less about party memories and more about joint ventures.”
Mrs James added: “There is no laughter but a hint of conversation within the hug and it feels like the kind of group hug you used to give in business to bring the team together and register empathy.”
