Meghan Markle's 'double clutch' move shows how she really feels about Prince Harry

Meghan Markle's holding onto Prince Harry with both hands shows how she really feels about him, a body language expert has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex aren't shy about public displays of affection, with Meghan pictured on several occasions with one hand in Harry's and another on his arm. Body language Judi James said the "extra clingy" clutch reveals Meghan's desire to keep Harry close.

Meghan was pictured clutching Harry's hand and arm during the Sussexes' trip to Colombia in August, but the gesture goes back further, with the Duchess performing the same display when the couple announced their engagement outside Kensington Palace in 2017.

The Duchess made the same move when the Sussexes attended the ESPY Awards in July as the couple posed next to former tennis ace and Meghan's pal, Serena Williams.

Ms James told MailOnline the gesture was also used to create a "comfort barrier" as it meant putting one of her arms across her torso.

The expert added that more recently it suggested a gesture of possession or a boast of ownership, signalling: "He's mine".

She said: "It suggests he is her priority but it also allows for a small sensual ritual if her fingertips are touching his bare arm."

Meghan's placement of a hand on Harry's knee is also a "signal of ownership" while putting a hand on the Duke's thigh is "sensual", according to Ms James.

Harry's body language, meanwhile, can show a desire to take the lead and protect his wife. Images of the couple holding hands often show the Duke putting his on top.

Ms James said this is a "dominant" gesture which betrays a wish to take the lead or be protective.

The latest analysis of the Sussexes' body language comes after Ms James told Express.co.uk that Meghan has recently shifted in her conscious and unconscious gesturing.

Judi said when Meghan and Harry married the visual suggestion was she was totally invested in him as her friend and husband.

She added: "Their constantly tactile and besotted behaviours were excluding to the outside world. When we saw Meghan, she was only ever with Harry in terms of close relationships."

But interactions at a polo match and Instagram posts showed a different side to Meghan, according to Ms James, who showed her devotion to platonic love with pals.

An image of Meghan with pals on the picture-sharing platform and interaction with pal Nacho Figueras's wife at a polo event underscored the Duchess's loyalty to her inner circle, she said.