Meghan Markle's 'Hug-Everyone Approach' Sparked Gossip She Was 'Flirting' With Prince William

Meghan Markle's public displays of affection reportedly made some members of the royal family "uncomfortable."

According to sources, the Suits actress had a "warm, friendly, hug-everyone approach" that sometimes made Prince William and even King Charles "flinch."

"This tactile manner made William uncomfortable because Meghan hugged him virtually every time they bumped into each other," the report written by British journalist Tom Quinn claimed.

"The hugging and cheek-kissing fueled gossip among the staff that Meghan was flirting with William," the report continued, clarifying that Meghan "obviously" was not doing that.

Quinn noted that Meghan was "understandably hurt" when her friendly gestures were dismissed because "everyone apparently hugs in California" and she was not used to how things were done within the royal family.

As OK! previously reported, the Duchess of Sussex made similar comments in her and Prince Harry's 2022 Netflix docuseries, when she detailed her first time meeting Kate Middleton and Prince William.

"I was a hugger and have always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that was really jarring for a lot of Brits," she said at the time. "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 you are like, ‘Oh, great. We can relax now,'" she added. "But that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me."

In Harry's memoir, Spare, he revealed William visibly "recoiled" and was "completely freaked" out the first time Meghan hugged him.

"Willy didn’t hug many strangers. Whereas Meg hugged most strangers," he explained in an excerpt. "When meeting my grandmother [Queen Elizabeth II], I’d made it clear — this is the queen. But when meeting my brother, it was just Willy, who loved Suits."

Tensions in the relationship between the Sussexes and other members of the royal family only increased after Harry and Meghan announced they would be leaving their royal duties and moving to the United States.

The couple is currently living in Montecito, Calif., with their two children — Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3.

While Harry has gone home for various events and court battles, Meghan has not visited the U.K. since Queen Elizabeth's funeral in 2022.

The sources spoke with The London Times about Meghan hugging William.