Meghan Markle 's apparent shun of hubby Prince Harry 's advances at a basketball game could have been to help the pair keep their battered reputation intact.
That is the view of a PR expert who thinks the former Suits actress could have been simply protecting their brand rather than rejecting her man in front of the world.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were spotted on the kiss-cam at a basketball game on Monday as the LA Lakers took on the Memphis Grizzlies.
Cameras quickly panned to the pair and beamed out the scenes on the jumbotron to the 20,000 in attendance at the Crypto.com Arena.
However, despite the prince, 38, seemingly being up for a smooch, Meghan, 41, awkwardly pulled away before the pair laughed and hugged.
And while some could perceive it as a "rejection", PR expert Chad Teixeira believes there are a number of reasons she could've played the situation this way.
He told the Mirror it could be as simple as Meghan realises the pair have made a conscious bid to crave privacy.
"Meghan and Harry have made it clear they're after some privacy," he said. "And they might not have been keen on sharing a lovey-dovey moment with a bazillion folks and cameras watching. Swerving the smooch could be a way of keeping their personal space intact in a very public spot."
He said the duchess might have also been wary of how the PDA could come across so "opted for a more low-key reaction to dodge potential flak or misreading".
And Chad, who is CEO of celebrity PR agency Daddy The Agency also said it could have been simply down to her knowing her American audience better than her other half.
"Meghan might be more clued-up on how PDA can rub some folks the wrong way in certain situations.
"By giving the kiss a miss, she could've been trying to find the middle ground between her US roots and the more buttoned-up British standards."
Describing the number of reasons that could have been behind her choice from a PR perspective, he concluded: "Meghan's choice to apparently skip the smooch during the smooch cam situation could come down to a mix of reasons, like privacy worries, image defence, being blindsided, or cultural savvy.
"At the end of the day, her response might be shaped by a combo of these factors, aiming to strike a balance between her public image and her personal world."
The apparent block was also described as a "flirty barrier" by a body language expert.
According to Judi James the reaction was "first-date, flirty signals from the couple". She said they used "head closeness and eye engagement to show their levels of bonding".
"The body language is tactile and even romantic but it also shows Meghan taking the lead in terms of rejecting the offer of a Kiss-cam kiss that Harry seems more than up for."
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