Meghan Markle in awkward moment as she tries for a hug but is snubbed by host
Meghan Markle managed to avoid an awkward moment as she was snubbed by a presenter at a major event.
The Duchess of Sussex was invited to speak at a women’s panel at the 2024 SXSW Conference and Festival in Texas last week, and appeared alongside Errin Haines, Katie Couric, Brooke Shields, and Nancy Wang Yuen, much to the delight of the audience. Titled Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen, Meghan candidly discussed several topics, including depictions of women in the media, as well as being the victim of devastating cyberbullying while pregnant with Prince Archie.
However, eagle-eyed fans spotted Meghan was denied a hug by host Errin Haines as she was announced on stage. Wearing a pinstripe shirt and matching maxi skirt by Giuliva Heritage, as the mother-of-two walked toward Errin she reached out her arms to give her a hug, but the journalist quickly turned away, leaving Meghan to simply pat her on the back instead.
READ MORE: Meghan and Harry urged to 'garner public support' instead of 'ruffling feathers in Royal Family'
Meghan held out her arms for a hug with presenter Errin (SXSW/YOUTUBE)
But the Duchess was awkwardly rejected (SXSW/YOUTUBE)A video of the interaction was shared on Twitter/X, as one fan said it was an “invasion” of personal space to expect others to hug. “Read the room. Some people don’t want their personal space invaded, even by a Duchhhesss,” they commented. “She needs to understand people relish their personal space...who wants people they don't know hug them? Especially in this day in age...just watching this cracks me up...the lady was like I don't think so,” another added.
Oprah Winfrey snubs Harry and Meghan as expert claims 'the tide has turned'
While some suggested it was Meghan’s way to gain control of the situation, as she may have been nervous ahead of taking part in the star-studded panel. “It's such a power play, that reach-out to hug. Showing the other woman who's boss. Other woman did well to remain neutral and not respond,” one fan speculated, as another joked: “I hate the whole constant hugging thing. Like, just don’t touch me lol.”
Meghan surprised the audience when she took part in the women's panel at the festival (Getty Images)Meghan has previously described herself as a “hugger”, and in her and Prince Harry’s Netflix docu-series, she explained how she felt embarrassed when she awkwardly tried to hug Prince William and Kate Middleton during their first ever meeting. “When Will and Kate came over, and I met her for the first time, they came over for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger. I've always been a hugger, I didn't realise that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” she revealed.
“I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and go 'You can relax now', but that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me,” Meghan admitted.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
