A Body Language Expert Analyzes Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Eye-Popping PDA

A Body Language Expert Analyzes Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Eye-Popping PDA
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are more loved-up than ever.

On April 12, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a charity polo match in Florida supporting Sentebale, a charity Harry founded in 2006 that supports children in Africa dealing with HIV and AIDS. The couple walked in hand-in-hand and even celebrated with a kiss after Harry's Royal Salute Sentebale team won 3-1 over the Grand Champions squad.

Netflix cameras filmed the match, just days after news broke that Harry is spearheading an upcoming docuseries on polo, the Daily Mail reports.

The outing comes amid a troubling time for the royal family: Harry's dad King Charles was diagnosed with cancer in February, while Harry's sister-in-law Kate Middleton revealed in March that she'd also been battling cancer.

Following Kate's announcement, Meghan, 42, and Harry, 39, issued a statement wishing "health and healing for Kate and the family," according to CBS. They also hoped she'd be able to get better "privately and in peace."

Meet the Expert: Patti Wood is the author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma.

So, how are Meghan and Harry dealing with the news? While royal fans can't know for sure, Women's Health tapped body language expert Patti Wood, the author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma, for some insight on each hand hold, hug, and smooch. Below, find what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's most recent body language says about the current state of their relationship:

royal salute polo challenge
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge.Yaroslav Sabitov - PA Images - Getty Images

The 'ship makes Harry feel more confident.

Harry and Meghan arrived at the event together, with Harry wearing a grey sports jacket and Meghan rocking a white halter dress and black sunglasses. Their hands were held loosely together, a gesture Wood calls "relaxed and easy." "If you look at his hand, his hand is down holding. He's not pulling her to him. She's not pulling him back," she says. "They don't have to hold hands, but they do. In this photo, you see that they're not struggling to do it. It's not effortful. It's just like, 'This how we're most comfortable.'"

But what stands out the most is Harry's posture, says Wood. His arms are wide, taking up space, and his shoulders are back, making him look "powerful." This is a "dramatic" difference from photos of Harry in his youth, Wood says, where he would appear far less confident in himself. Harry's relationship has empowered him to take up space, with his body language indicating how secure he is with his wife.

Furthermore, with her shoulders back and hips pointed forward, Meghan appears to follow Harry's gait so they mirror one another, Wood notes. She finds a slight bit of tension in Meghan's smile, but attributes it to the sun in her face. On the whole, H&M's body language signifies that they feel relaxed when they're near one another.

"They're not [holding hands] for the camera," she says. "You can see by their postures—they're not doing it because they need each other or they're struggling. It's more like, 'We just feel better like this. This is natural for us."

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Harry helps Meghan down the stairs.Yaroslav Sabitov - PA Images - Getty Images

Meghan trusts Harry to uplift her.

In a second snap, Harry holds Meghan's right hand while she descends a flight of stairs. On the other side, a woman holds Meghan's other palm. Although they're not in the shot, Wood says that Meghan is likely wearing a particularly high pair of heels—hence the extra hands. (The style blog Meghan's Fashion reports that she's sporting the Aquazurra Purist Pumps, which tower at over four inches tall.)

But Wood points out that Meghan isn't even looking back to ensure Harry's help. Rather, she simply trusts him to support her. "Her face is relaxed. There's not a lot of tension in the gentle smile that she's showing," she says. "But she's holding his hand fairly tightly. So there's trust."

Meanwhile, Harry has a wide stance and bends over "far" at the waist, showing the effort he's exerting to hold Meghan upright. "It's just him showing, 'Okay, babe, I'll do this. I'll hold the space for you. I'll be the support for you. I will balance you and I'll keep you from falling,'" Wood says. "It's lovely and symbolic."

And even though Meghan's in front, this isn't a "diva" moment, Wood says. Instead, her body is tilted backwards, since she's using Harry's support while he stays on-stage. "That weight back and the [lack of] tension in her face tells me she feels safe," Wood says. "She can depend on him to help her."

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Meghan presents Harry with the winner’s trophy.Yaroslav Sabitov - PA Images - Getty Images

They're absolutely 'in sync' with each other.

After the match was over, Meghan helped present her husband with a trophy to commemorate his win, and the two shared a loving kiss.

And despite the cup appearing to be quite hefty, Wood points out that Harry is using most of his energy to kiss Meghan, signifying his want to make her feel valued. "You can see him take the real weight with that bottom hand, the way that the fingers have tension as they're pushing up," she says. "But even though he's bearing the most weight of the award, he's expending a lot of energy. Look at the upper body, and the tension, and the neck muscles, and how far the head is protruding forward towards her. He's expending a lot of energy to say, 'You are more important,' even though he's holding the weight of the cup."

For her part, Meghan's fingers are pointed upwards, helping Harry hold the weight of the cup. This shows "her desire to support him" at his own event, Wood says. Plus, she smiles into the kiss, getting "joy" from the encounter, while Harry's smooch is more "tender," Wood notes. "It's not just a picture kiss. Photo kisses, often, are just contact of the lips," she says. "But here, there's some overlap of the cheeks, and the chins are resting on each other. It's just a loving kiss."

But the sweetest part of all comes in the couple's overall postures, Wood says. From their matching positions, they're "mirroring" one another, she says, which means they're really "in sync" as a couple. This is even more notable given their height difference, she adds. (Harry is 6'1", while Meghan is a much shorter 5'6".)

"It lets me know they're good with their power. One is not pushing to be seen more," Wood says. "This is his event. But in this moment, it's really about you celebrating this with me."

Overall, Harry and Meghan's body language signifies that their 'ship is doing just fine. "Their relationship, in these photos, it looks healthy," she says. "If people are saying that what's going on with the other royals is having a having a negative consequence on this relationship, they're saying no. They're connected. They're good."

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