The Sussexes have been getting touchy-feely at the UN, but the PDA can be used to say much more than mere tenderness. Photo / Getty Images
The Sussexes have been getting touchy-feely at the UN, but the PDA can be used to say much more than mere tenderness. Photo / Getty Images
For followers of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, seeing the pair hand in hand is nothing new. Since they were first pictured together back in 2016, Harry and Meghan have been glued together at the hand, arm, upper body, cheek and even foot, whenever they are out in public. Head to head, elbow to elbow, it seems there is not a body part that has remained uninhibitedly bumped.
This has carried on throughout their engagement, nuptials, transatlantic moves, and is still going strong now, four years into their marriage, the point when most of us are wearing pyjamas and arguing about how to stack the dishwasher, not coyly reaching in for a squeeze in front of the world's press.
Love stories aside, it was still a surprise to see footage from the UN in New York this week, taken just after Harry had delivered his Nelson Mandela Day speech. In the short clip, Meghan appears to hold his hand, and when he moves, possibly in an attempt to disentangle himself, she grabs his arm instead, in the sort of double-handed grip you or I might apply to a particularly delicious bottle of rosé. You'll see it here:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the UN General Assembly for Nelson Mandela International Day in New York.https://t.co/ue3hxzQCgr
All the time, her benign countenance never flinched. Harry's jaw, though, looked clenched. The arm was brutally retrieved so he could lean over and shake a delegate's hand, at which point Meghan began rubbing his back as if he were a poorly toddler. The general mood in Team Sussex did not look, well ... unified.
But this is all conjecture: for all we know Harry was crippled with nerves about his big speech and Meghan may have just been offering comfort.
On the other hand, regardless of impulsion, it looked a little informal for a meeting where Harry was addressing global leaders about food security and climate change.
Meghan just can't keep from showing the entire world how much she loves her man. Photo / Getty Images
Meghan leans into Harry, grasping his arm as he speaks. Photo / Getty Images
The footage above shows Harry removing his hand from Meghan's. The Duchess then moves Harry's arm so that it's intertwined with hers. Photo / Getty Images
So what are the acceptable moments in time and locations for public displays of affection? The UN, we can probably all agree, is a place that should be spared any kind of outre or even implied snogging.
The red carpet? Well, that does appear to be where couples – such as Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker – feel free to showcase their kissing technique if anyone has the stomach to watch. Yet, there is hidden meaning in all PDAs – and it very rarely has anything to do with pure, unburnished desire.
The general mood in Team Sussex did not look, well ... unified. Photo / Getty Images
The performative PDA
This is Meghan's milieu. Who can blame her for wanting to show just how progressive and human she is? However, it's questionable now whether she can enter a public arena without manhandling her husband. But they are in love, don't you know? And nothing – not age, boredom, demands of young children, or globally important diplomatic settings – will prevent the Duchess of Sussex from physically expressing her affection for Harry. Whether he reciprocates, it is neither here nor there. If the cameras are rolling, the hands are holding.
The comfort PDA
Charles and Camilla keep it subtle. Photo / Getty Images
This is the most natural, easy one. As a viewer, you wouldn't even notice had we not just pointed it out. Consider Prince Charles gently touching his wife's back as they walk through a door or Adele nonchalantly rubbing knees with her boyfriend Rich Paul while sitting courtside at a basketball game. It's without guile, it's done unknowingly and it shows deep intimacy. Physical touch, we are reminded, is the first thing we recoil from when we're not comfortable with that other person, as anyone who's been on the train in rush hour can attest.
The insecurity PDA
Alarmingly, a 2016 research paper from The Journal of Sex Research found that the number one reason for people to engage in a PDA was "to enhance their image or status". Clearly, there is an unwritten disclaimer here that the other person has to be desirable to a large number of people. Getting publicly intimate with, say, Mr Banana Head at a 4-year-old's party isn't going to make the attendant crowds go wild with jealousy. Were Idris Elba to wander over and stroke your cheek, that might be a different ball game.
The blissfully unaware PDA
Remember this? The few first bewitching months when you're so intoxicated with each other you forget to eat and sleep? If you jump on a night bus, you'll likely happen upon a young couple licking each other's faces off on the back seat, oblivious to the mortified 14-year-old returning from the cinema with a parent and the old duffer sitting two seats in front making lascivious remarks. The trouble being, of course, it's all very well in a dingy club when you're 20 but when you're 55 and attending the all-staff barbecue, unabashed snogging with your other half will just make the intern feel ill.
The power PDA
Now we're post-pandemic, aggressive and extreme PDAs are not only commonplace but actively sought after, if recent research by dating app Bumble is to be believed. As we all spent months devoid of touching and human affection, 68 per cent of Bumble users have now said they're "more open to public displays of affection". The usual waves of shame and embarrassment have been eclipsed by the terrifying knowledge that two years of your life can easily be subsumed by TV and bean-stained jogging bottoms. Life is short. Long live the PDA.
