The appearance of Prince Harry香蕉视频直播檚 girlfriend over the weekend at the opening ceremonies of the Invictus Games in Toronto continues to be scrutinized by royal watchers, who have commented on everything from how far they sat from each other to where the American actress purchased her outfit.

香蕉视频直播淭his is just part of the fabric of modern-day living for the Royal Family,香蕉视频直播� says Damian Radcliffe, a British media researcher who teaches journalism at the University of Oregon.

香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 always been a huge amount of column inches about nothing much in particular. It香蕉视频直播檚 just that now we have a great proliferation of media outlets willing to talk about that, which is why there香蕉视频直播檚 so much coverage of this on both sides of the Atlantic.香蕉视频直播�

Meghan Markle, who films the hit legal drama 香蕉视频直播淪uits香蕉视频直播� in Toronto, cheered on the athletes from around the world Saturday while Harry, who founded the Games in 2014, sat a few rows away next to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

By Sunday morning, tabloids such as the Daily Mail were reporting how different Markle香蕉视频直播檚 burgundy dress and leather jacket was from the demure outfit Kate Middleton 香蕉视频直播� now the Duchess of Cambridge 香蕉视频直播� wore at her first public outing with Harry香蕉视频直播檚 brother and second in line to the throne, Prince William.

Since this year香蕉视频直播檚 Invictus Games are taking place where Markle lives and shoots 香蕉视频直播淪uits,香蕉视频直播� there has been intense speculation about if and when the couple will make a public appearance together. They have publicly acknowledged their relationship but have not been seen together, except for long-lens photos taken without their knowledge and from a great distance.

香蕉视频直播淓veryone is expecting Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to appear together at some point this week,香蕉视频直播� says Chris Ship, Royal Editor for ITV News in the U.K. 香蕉视频直播淭he common-held view among the British royal press is that there will be an official outing, their first outing as a couple, as it were.香蕉视频直播�

Ship says it香蕉视频直播檚 likely the two didn香蕉视频直播檛 sit together at the opening ceremonies because it might have distracted from the Games themselves. In attending the same event but doing so separately, he says the couple is taking 香蕉视频直播漛aby steps.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淪he appears at the Invictus Games opening ceremonies because she knows how much the Games mean to her boyfriend, and yet they didn香蕉视频直播檛 want to sit her next to him because they knew that would overshadow the opening ceremonies,香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播漇o the choreography has actually been very clever.香蕉视频直播�

Competition is high among freelance and tabloid photographers, for whom the first photos of the couple would be very profitable.

香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 doubt that there are probably paparazzi photographers in and around Toronto hanging out in hedges, trying to find Harry and Meghan Markle out together in the evening, because they know that there香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of money if they could capture that picture and they could sell it around the world,香蕉视频直播� Ship says.

He says he香蕉视频直播檚 made an effort to keep the focus of his coverage on the inspiring stories of athletes competing at the Invictus Games.

香蕉视频直播淭here is a balance to be struck between public interest in Harry and Meghan香蕉视频直播檚 romance, set against (the fact that) he does have the right to a private life, and he shouldn香蕉视频直播檛 have cameras hanging out of bushes and trees in order to get a picture of him,香蕉视频直播� Ship says.

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Radcliffe agrees.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 kind of a non-story,香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播漈he story is arguably more the Games, rather than how far they sat away from one another, and what she was wearing.香蕉视频直播�

Royal historian Carolyn Harris, author of 香蕉视频直播淩aising Royalty: A Thousand Years of Royal Parenting,香蕉视频直播� says there are several reasons for the intense interest in Markle and Prince Harry香蕉视频直播檚 relationship at this moment.

Interest in the Royal Family spiked at the beginning of September when Kensington Palace officials announced that Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William are expecting their third child, she says. The 20th anniversary of Princess Diana香蕉视频直播檚 death has also led to many retrospectives about her legacy, and about her sons.

Harris says the modernity of Harry and Markle香蕉视频直播檚 relationship is another factor that makes them interesting to the public.

香蕉视频直播淲hen we look at previous generations in the Royal Family, often the courtship was comparatively short before an engagement,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播滳harles and Diana, for instance, spent very little time together before becoming engaged. But in William and Harry香蕉视频直播檚 generation, that has changed.香蕉视频直播�

The fact that they have publicly acknowledged their relationship is also 香蕉视频直播漸nusual in many ways,香蕉视频直播� Harris says. In November, Harry issued a statement condemning media harassment of Markle, who he identified as his girlfriend, and earlier this month she spoke to Vanity Fair about their relationship.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 interesting, over the course of the Queen香蕉视频直播檚 reign, there香蕉视频直播檚 been changing views in terms of who are suitable spouses for royalty,香蕉视频直播� Harris says. When Queen Victoria香蕉视频直播檚 eldest son was preparing to marry, his choices were quite limited: his wife had to be royal, and she had to be a Protestant.

香蕉视频直播淚t was determined there were about seven eligible women he could marry,香蕉视频直播� Harris says.

Related: Princes William and Harry speak candidly about Diana香蕉视频直播檚 death

香蕉视频直播淣ow, with members of the Royal Family going to university and having the opportunity to have some degree of a private life and dating before getting married, we香蕉视频直播檙e seeing a much wider pool of potential spouses for royalty.香蕉视频直播�

Radcliffe says the intense interest in royal relationships is nothing new 香蕉视频直播� it香蕉视频直播檚 just the way audiences consume that news that has changed.

香蕉视频直播淭his is just the start of a whole new media circus for this couple, in this iteration of how the lives of the Royal Family play out in the social media age,香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e going to see a lot more of this, I香蕉视频直播檓 sure.香蕉视频直播�

Maija Kappler, The Canadian Press