What Meghan’s ‘koala hugs’ for friends and colleagues REALLY mean, reveals body language expert

Whether she’s walking the red carpet or cheering on a friend at an event, Meghan doesn’t shy away from being tactile with her companions.

Now body language expert Judi James has revealed the different meanings behind the Duchess of Sussex’s penchant for touching.

Meghan’s warm hugs with her friends and colleagues appear to serve “several emotional functions”, Ms James said.

She added that the Duchess’s hugs send the message that she is “warm and very popular” while also making the relationship “look strong.”

The interactions appear to convey memorable “strong signals of affection” to the person receiving the hug, while “perhaps providing some social reassurance that Meghan finds rewarding” in her busy social life.

Meghan also often takes her husband’s hand in public, but Ms James said this is not the same “intense hugging and holding” as with her friends.

Here, MailOnline reveals more of Ms James’s expert perspective on the Duchess’s tactile communication.

Hand in hand on the red carpet

Meghan attended a charity gala earlier this month with her close friend Kelly McKee Zajfen in support of LA Children’s Hospital.

They were photographed smiling together and holding hands, with Meghan standing behind Kelly as they posed for the cameras.

Holding her friends’ hands over her body could be a “barrier ritual,” according to Ms. James.

This seems to imply that “she sees her friend as a strong, protective presence,” the body language expert said, while “the double closure makes the support seem two-way.”

Harry did not attend the event with his wife. It comes after the couple made a series of separate plans, including the Duke’s recent solo trips to Lesotho and London.

Koala hug

In 2016, before the Duchess had met Prince Harry, Meghan attended a World Vision event in Toronto.

She was photographed hugging her former best friend Jessica Mulroney, who was a stylist for former Canadian first lady Sophie Trudeau.

Ms James described the gesture as a ‘koala hug’ and said it was ‘quite a childish display’.

The women’s arms circle each other, which Ms. James described as looking like they “need protection from the rest of the world.”

Ms James said the exhibition shows a strong bond between the women.

However, the pair fell out after Jessica became embroiled in a ‘white privilege’ row with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter in 2020.

Hand on shoulder

In addition to hugs and grabs, Meghan also uses more casual tactile poses with her friends.

In 2016, she attended an event with Chloe Wilde and was photographed with her arm hanging loosely over the Canadian television host’s shoulder.

This gesture is “a signal of camaraderie or shared thinking on camera,” Ms. James said.

It’s something Meghan reiterated with journalist and social activist Gloria Steinem at the Women of Vision Awards last year.

Shoulders and stare

Meghan took the shoulder up a notch and was cuddled in a “dominant-looking hug” with Rick Hoffman at the season five premiere of Suits in Los Angeles in 2016.

The Duchess placed both hands on the American actor’s shoulders and the pair looked straight at each other.

Ms. James described the gesture as “pinning the other person down lovingly and using questioning eye contact.”

She said it could indicate one person is asking the other how they are doing, “asking about their health or their life and wanting to show that they really mean it.”

Poor cradle

When Meghan attended the launch of her charity clothing collection in London in 2019, she greeted Misha Nonoo with warmth.

The Duchess hugged the fashion designer and the pair were photographed in what Ms James describes as an ‘arm cradle position’ which is ‘often performed at the end of a more loving hugging ritual’.

She said: ‘It indicates a reluctance to let go, plus a strong desire to talk or chat.’

Bundle of affection

In August, Meghan was also spotted sharing a big hug with Kelly McKee Zajfen at the George Zajfen Tennis Tournament in memory of her son.

It marked the pair’s close bond once again, but this time Kelly’s daughter Lily was also caught in the embrace.

Ms James described it as a ‘bundle of affection’ and said Meghan seemed to be the one making ‘the maximum effort to show the love’.

She added: ‘It’s the kind of hug you would normally do after a long period of separation, with strong attachment signals suggesting how much you have missed someone.’

Group hug

The Duchess has also been pictured sharing group hugs with her friends and colleagues in the past.

In 2013, Meghan posed with American actresses Gina Torres and Sarah Rafferty at a Suits event in Beverly Hills, California.

The trio threw their arms around each other and smiled for the cameras, leaning forward and laughing together.

Ms James described the scene as having ‘hen party vibes’, adding: ‘It suggests close relationships that used to involve lots of partying and now shared memories.’

In another context, Meghan shared a hug with women she worked with at the Hubb Community Kitchen in West London in 2018.

They had launched a charity cookbook together to support families affected by the devastating Grenfell Tower fire.

The body language expert said the scene was “less about party memories and more about joint ventures.”

Ms James added: ‘There’s no giggling, but there is a hint of chat in the hug and it’s similar to the kind of group hug you used to get in the corporate world to bond the team and register empathy.’