The royal couple who will go down in history for rewriting the royal rulebook is undoubtedly Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are famous for being super affectionate with each other at engagements.
Sharing a kiss or rubbing each other's backs might sound like standard couple behaviour, but during their time as working royals, displaying affection in public was traditionally viewed as unprofessional. However, since stepping down as working royals in 2020, Meghan and Harry can showcase as much public display of affection (PDA) as they like, from cuddling at pop concerts to sharing a kiss at the Invictus Games.
From their very first official appearance as an engaged couple, it was clear the Sussexes were doing things their way. Cast your mind back to some of their cutest PDA moments that proved they were completely smitten with one another...
PDA moment
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Days after announcing their engagement in 2017, Meghan and Harry went out on their first royal outing to the Nottingham Contemporary. However, royal fans noticed their strong image of public affection when they were holding hands and putting their arms around each other.
Public displays of affection have traditionally been avoided by the Royal Family at official events due to their roles as working representatives of the British monarchy. Although there is no formal rule forbidding royals from showing affection in public, an unspoken guideline explains why Prince William and Catherine rarely show affection publicly, having been photographed holding hands fewer than a dozen times.
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HELLO! magazine's royal correspondent Emily Nash previously explained: "The Duke and Duchess are almost always seen in photographs taken during official engagements, so they are at 'work' and it would be unprofessional to hold hands. They also need to shake hands with a huge number of people as they meet them, so aside from being on duty, it wouldn't be very practical!"
Easy-going relationship
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Harry and Meghan showed their relaxed, loving relationship during their first television interview after becoming engaged. Speaking about the proposal, Harry said: "It happened a few weeks ago, earlier this month, here at our cottage. Just a standard, typical night for us."
Meghan interjected: "Just a cosy night... what were we doing? Just roasting chicken. It was an amazing surprise, so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee."
Harry joked: "She didn't even let me finish. She said, 'Can I say yes? Can I say yes?' and then there were hugs. I had the ring on my finger, and I was like, 'Can I give you the ring?' She goes, 'Oh yes, the ring!' So it was a really nice moment, just the two of us, and I think I managed to catch her by surprise as well."
More PDA...
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Looking cosy together on their first outing set the precedent for a couple who are never afraid to post intimate photos on Instagram or have fun together.
Despite their challenging times, Meghan and Harry have always put on a united front, and 2025 was proof of that. During the Invictus Games in February 2025, Meghan gave Harry a passionate kiss during the opening ceremony to show her support.
Then in May 2025, Meghan posted a selfie wrapped around Prince Harry when they attended Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour in Los Angeles. Again, in a public setting, it proved that despite no longer being working royals, they never wanted to hold back their natural affection for each other.
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Most recently, in October 2026, during their first public outing since moving back to the UK, Prince Harry was spotted gently touching Meghan Markle's hair while in Nottingham. Having been married for over eight years, it is clear they still share the same spark as when they first met.