Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have more than their fair share of critics who are happy to point out the perceived odd things in their the relationship — especially after the pair’s controversial royal exit. These critics especially like to focus on the duchess’ supposed physical possessiveness over her husband, dubbing her tendency to hold him by the arm “the claw.” Previously, they pointed toward this as evidence of a rift between Meghan and Venus Williams. Now, royal watchers believe “the claw” reemerged when Harry and Meghan attended the 2025 Invictus Games. But we decided to enlist the aid of a body language expert, who says this moment isn’t what people think it is at all.
Control. Control. Control.
Uses her hands to maneuver him and the double claw makes an appearance. #MeghanMarkleExpose #MeghanMarkleIsANarcissist pic.twitter.com/IWfqGqmamr
— Revealing (@RVealingthenarc) February 11, 2025
In a clip from the Invictus Games that has made the rounds on social media, Harry jokingly tells the crowd that Meghan is going to sing. He then turns to leave the podium, at which point Meghan laughs, grabs Harry by the hand, and pulls him back. The Duchess of Sussex can also be seen holding onto Harry for most of the clip, rubbing his hand and arm. One user on X, formerly Twitter, called this an example of Meghan exerting “control” over Harry, chastising her use of a “double claw.” However, according to body language expert and behavior analyst Traci Brown, CSP, there’s a much simpler explanation: Harry and Meghan were probably freezing.
The truth behind Harry and Meghan’s body language at the Invictus Games
Regarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s body language at the 2025 Invictus Games, Traci Brown elaborated, “They’re cold. Neither are wearing gloves. She’s rubbing his hand. Could it be to warm up or to let off anxiety? Likely both. … Sometimes she has two hands on his, but then she has a hand on his elbow towards the end. Again, [she’s] rubbing. Again, it could be to warm up or let off anxiety. Repetitive motions like this are called adapters.” The body language expert and behavior analyst added that, while some believe Meghan was trying to show ownership over Harry at the event by latching onto him, in reality, it seems like it was the other way around. “Look close and he’s the one pulling her in tightly,” Brown pointed out.
harry bringing out meghan onto the stage 🥹 #invictusgames2025 pic.twitter.com/kHcy1YxDr4
— alexandra 💌 (@megslightt) February 11, 2025
With that said, while the aforementioned X post was filled with commenters dogpiling on Meghan’s so-called controlling behavior, another post proves that not everyone has such a cynical perspective on the matter. A separate X user shared a clip showing an alternate angle of the moment in question, and expressed joy over what they clearly saw as nothing more than Harry sweetly bringing Meghan onstage with him. One commenter echoed this sentiment and seemed to love the playful teasing on Harry’s part, as well. “Love her reaction when he says now she’s gonna sing!!!” they wrote, adding, “They’re soooooo cute together!”
