Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s ‘parent and child’ ritual has been revealed by an expert

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s ‘parent-child’ ritual has been revealed by a body language expert. During their recent three-day trip to Nigeria, the Duke of Sussex appeared “reluctant” to let go of his wife’s hand on the last day of their visit.

The Duke, 39, and the Duchess, 42, were seen holding hands as they arrived at the state governor’s residence, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, where they were the guests of honor on Sunday, May 12. Body language expert Judi James spoke to the Daily Mail about the couple’s dynamic, noting: “There’s something almost parent-child about this body language as Harry and Meghan perform little dance-like rituals to avoid letting go of each other’s hands to the other, even for a second.”

She also observed, “They seem to want to cling together for affection and have a tactile bond to create signs of bonding, i.e. little touches of direction or moments of stillness while appearing in public.”

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Honoring her promise to ditch her usual monochrome style and honor her Nigerian roots, Meghan turned heads in Lagos wearing a stunning canary yellow dress – the exact same one she wore in 2021 when she announced her pregnancy with Princess Lilibet. Body language expert Judi commented on their dynamic: “Their hands are clasped when they arrive and Harry seems to be tapping his thigh as if to calm himself down.”

What’s more, the expert suggested that the Duke of Sussex seems to want a physical connection as he is quick to grab Meghan’s hand again whenever she lets it go, Express reports.

The pair are currently on their first joint visit to Nigeria, promoting the Invictus Games, a cause close to Prince Harry’s heart. This follows his encounter last year with the Nigerian team and General Musa at the competition in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Throughout this tour, Meghan has embraced vibrant colors in her wardrobe. She previously explained: “It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours since I arrived and I got the memo very quickly that I needed to wear more color to match you all in your incredible fashion.”

Adding further historic significance to their visit, just last year, Nigeria achieved the milestone of becoming the first African nation to participate in the Invictus Games, a platform for wounded servicemen and veterans that was co-launched by Prince Harry in 2014.

On the first day of their mini-tour on Friday, Harry recounted the joy the Nigerian team brought to the games in Dusseldorf.

Prince Harry made a stop in London before his visit to the country, joining in the festivities marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games and attending a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Earlier this year, in February, Harry briefly returned to the UK to see his father, King Charles, following his cancer diagnosis.