Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have sparked reactions with their latest 'awkward' red carpet appearance.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed off their strong bond as they held hands nonstop while posing for photos before being honoured at Project Healthy Minds Gala in New York City, contrasting with interpretations by royal observers who sensed underlying tension.
Royal watchers took it differently as they claimed the couple's body language revealed a lot of tension. The Duchess allegedy did not seem to enjoy being led into the event by her husband.
Some experts noted the couple looked "tense" in joint public appearances, with Meghan displaying an increased blink rate suggesting mindfulness of her public image.
Harry and Meghan's eagle-eyed fans believe the Sussexes didn't seem in sync, and their attempts at affection fell utterly flat.
"The body language! Yauch!" one person groused on X next to viral 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.
The third person went on to refer Harry's parents outing before their split, writing: "Reminds me of the latter days of Charles and Di. He wants out."
Charles and Princess Diana reportedly looked miserable in public appearances together before Queen Elizabeth II finally urged them to divorce in 1995.
A fourth person wrote on X: "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."
However, some of the royal fans gave examples of the newly separated Hollywood couple, 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.
One wrote: "Nicole and Keith did that too, and we all know where that ended up."
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.
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.
Meghan seemed to take the hint by quickly exiting the stage after realising 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.