Prince Harry Grabs Wife Meghan Markle’s Butt During 'Awkward' Red Carpet Appearance — as Fans Rage Over 'Their Horrible Body Language'
The couple's rare red carpet had royal fans buzzing but not in a positive way.
Oct. 10 2025, Published 5:16 p.m. ET
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's seemingly forced attempts at PDA had royal watchers buzzing about their latest awkward red carpet appearance, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, and his wife, 44, held hands nonstop while posing for photos before being honored at Project Healthy Minds Gala in New York City, where the duo received Humanitarians of the Year awards.
Harry In Front
Markle did not seem to enjoy being led into the event by her husband.
At one point, Harry's hand brushed the backside of Markle's butt. In others, they stood with their hands tightly clasped but with less than romantic expressions.
The former Suits star's mask slipped several times as she was pictured glaring, while her husband had the rare opportunity to walk ahead of her.
He led the way to the step-and-repeat wall in front of photographers, breaking with how Markle frequently takes the lead in public outings, as she's done since marrying the prince in 2018.
'Palpable' Tension
Royal watchers claimed the duo's body language showed a lot of tension.
The couple didn't seem in sync, and royal fans took notice of how the couple's attempts at affection fell utterly flat.
"The body language! Yauch!" one person groused on X next to photos from the event. "Just look at his lifeless expressions. It’s sad, actually. He married a toxic narcissist, and he’s paying a huge price," a second user claimed.
"Reminds me of the latter days of Charles and Di. He wants out," a third person observed, referring to how Harry's parents, King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, looked miserable in public appearances together before Queen Elizabeth II finally urged them to divorce in 1995.
"The tension appears rather palpable in the pictures. To be fair, Harry is awkward at these events, but Meghan, as ever, always overcompensates. Her fake 'looks of love' are just a little pathetic at this point," a fourth person wrote on X.
The user added, "Nicole and Keith did that too, and we all know where that ended up," referring to how Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban had a loved-up red carpet appearance a few months before splitting after 19 years of marriage.
Awkward Public Appearances
Markle awkwardly crashed Harry's One805 Live appearance in September.
It was a rare date night out for Harry and Markle, who hadn't appeared on a red carpet together since April's Time 100 event.
The former actress crashed a recent appearance the duke made at the One805 Live event on September 20, a fundraiser that supports mental health for Santa Barbara County's first responders.
While Harry was onstage speaking, Markle walked out from backstage seemingly without prompting. She appeared to grab at his microphone, but the prince briefly put his arm around his wife and continued his speech without looking at her.
Markle seemed to take the hint by quickly exiting the stage after realizing she wasn't going to get to play a part in giving out awards, which would have stolen the shine from Harry's moment with the firefighters and policemen.
Markle's 'Insensitive' Video
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Markle's fashion week video taken near where Harry's mother was killed received plenty of backlash.
Harry and Markle's New York appearance was their first together since the California native attended Paris Fashion Week on October 4.
The Duchess of Sussex caused a stir by recording a controversial Instagram Reel taken near where Diana was killed at the age of 36 in a 1997 car crash.
The video showed Markle riding in the back of a limousine past two landmark bridges along the Seine River at night. She then turned the camera inside to show her feet propped up on a seat in front of her just before arriving at Pont de l'Alma. Diana was a passenger in a car that crashed into a pillar inside the tunnel underneath the bridge while being chased by paparazzi.
Some royal fans called the video "insensitive," primarily since Harry has spoken so many times about how the death of his mother deeply affected him.
Even conservative talk show host Megyn Kelly asked about the controversial video, "What is that? Who would do that? Like, there's seriously something wrong with her," referring to Markle.
