'This Is Embarrassing': Meghan Markle Called Out for Bizarrely Rubbing Prince Harry On-Camera During NBA Date Night
Critcs called Meghan Markle oddly rubbing Prince Harry 'embarrassing.'
Feb. 16 2026, Published 4:45 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle's PDA towards her husband, Prince Harry, was called out once again after she awkwardly rubbed his arm at the NBA All-Star Game, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The With Love, Meghan star, 44, sat in the front row along with Harry, 41, where she attempted to get his attention that they were on camera with her grabby gesture.
Instant Mood Change
Markle has used frequent arm touching and grabbing throughout her marriage to Prince Harry.
The video showed Harry smiling and happily chatting with comedian Chris Tucker as the two men stood courtside ahead of the game.
The duo even patted each other on the arms after their warm conversation at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Harry went back to his chair and sat next to Markle without saying a word or looking at her.
The former actress was seen chatting with a nearby photographer as she leaned in and rested her head on the prince's shoulder, but it failed to draw his attention.
'That Mechanical Rubbing Is So Weird'
Critics have given Markle the nickname 'The Claw' for her tendency to grab at Princ Harry's arm.
As Harry continued to look uninterested and gazed away, Markle placed her hand on his right arm and began rubbing it up and down.
He finally got her hint, turned to the camera, and immediately put on a big smile while giving a thumbs-up.
Royal watchers found Markle's gesture bizarre.
"This is embarrassing. He is so checked out from her that she has to manhandle him to get him to come back to earth. Mortifying," one user scoffed on Reddit.
"That mechanical rubbing is so weird. Like, what is it? Rub the magic lamp to summon the genie?" a second person asked.
"It's called Pavlovian conditioning. I do this with my dog, using a toy to reward him when he has performed a trick correctly. Harry gets an arm rub to let him know that it's his time to shine. Good boy, Harry!" a third user sneered.
An appalled fourth commenter wrote, "Oh my word – this is the man who said he felt forced to perform when he was with the RF. Just look at you now! Smile, Harry, smile!" referring to the prince's complaints about life in the royal family.
Meghan Markle Reveals Daughter's Face
Markle finally showed daughter Lilibet's face for the first time on Instagram
Markle and Harry's "performative" affection for the cameras came one day after she shared the best look yet at their daughter Lilibet's face in an Instagram post.
It came in the form of a Valentine's Day post just days after a video emerged of the Duke of Sussex railing against children and the dangers of social media.
Harry was seen holding Lilbet, 4, in his arms as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She looked over his shoulder at a bouquet of red balloons tied to her hand, while the entire side of her face was visible in the most intimate look yet at the child.
Curiously, the couple's son, Archie, 6, wasn't included in the family photo
"These two + Archie = my forever Valentines," Markle wrote in the caption.
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Prince Harry 'Cautions' Against Sharing Children's Photos on Social Media
Prince Harry railed against showing children's faces on social media during an October 2025 podcast appearance.
While Harry does not have public social media accounts, his wife has ramped up posting photos and videos of her family since joining in January 2025.
She's previously shared content of their kids, either with a heart emoji over their faces or material taken from behind.
Markle intentionally sharing Lili's face went against what Harry railed about in 2025 when discussing AI.
“But from what I’ve seen, what I’ve heard, what I’ve experienced, is you should be really, really worried, concerned, and cautious about putting photographs of your kids online," he warned in a podcast interview.
