Meghan Markle showed she is still head over heels for her ‘forever Valentine’ Prince Harry at the NBA All-Star Game following a weekend of date nights for the royal couple.
Meghan spent much of the basketball match with her hand on her British husband’s leg and he responded by putting his arm around her at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Sunday.
But with sports-mad Harry’s head in the game, his wife needed to rub his arm to nudge him to smile and pose when the NBA’s social media team arrived at the start of the 75th All-Star Game.
Harry’s serious expression turned to a grin and he waved enthusiastically to the camera while saying ‘hi’.
The Sussexes put on a series of PDAs during their surprise visit to the basketball on Sunday evening.
They were all smiles as they were swept into the VIP entrance and through the bowels of the arena before being taken their courtside seats by security.
Footage of their arrival showed them waving to fans and well-wishers and they walked through a crowd of players on court warming up for the All-Star Game.
Harry looked serious in their VIP seats when the basketball began, while Meghan was all smiles as she chatted to him about the game on the same row as Queen Latifah and her partner, Eboni Nichols.
Meghan Markle nudges Prince Harry before he smiles for the camera courtside as they enjoyed a date night at the NBA All-star game
Meghan tucked herself into her husband’s sided as they beamed for the NBA media before the tip off
Meghan had her hand on Harry’s knee during the match on Sunday. The couple were sat next to rap royalty Queen Latifah
The Sussexes smiled and waved to fans and well-wishers as they arrived at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles
The Obamas were also at the match but with no pictures of them together with the Sussexes, it is not known if they saw each other yesterday.
Meghan, 44, spent most of the evening cozied up to her husband, 41, with her arm threaded through his as she chatted to him and rapper Latifah.
The Duke of Sussex put his around his wife of seven years as they enjoyed the night of top level sport.
The Duchess appeared to be filming some of the on-court action on her iPhone – perhaps for their children or social media – as the likes of LeBron James and Luka Doncic sank buckets.
The Sussexes’ appearance last night was part of a series of events for the couple.
On Friday night they ate out at the exclusive Funke restaurant in Beverly Hills, around a 90-minute drive from their Montecito mansion.
It is a favourite with them for date nights and the eaterie is where Meghan ate for her 44th birthday back in August.
On Valentine’s Day itself, Meghan shared a picture of Harry hugging Lilibet, whose face was on show for the first time in several years.
Their daughter was wearing a pink ballet-style dress and holding a nest of red balloons with matching ribbons.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stole the spotlight at the NBA All-Star game on Sunday
The 44-year-old appeared to be filming the likes of LeBron James on her iPhone
The Sussexes were joined by a host of famous faces on celeb row, with Barack and Michelle Obama also making an appearance.
Spike Lee was also in attendance.
The former president delivered one of the most unforgettable moments of the night when he calmly plucked a loose basketball out of mid-air as two of the world’s best players barreled toward him.
A fast-moving sequence sent the ball hurtling toward the sideline, where the Obamas sat just feet from the court.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker were sprinting in pursuit as the ball flew directly toward the former commander-in-chief.
Booker could be seen subtly steering his momentum and positioning himself between Jokic and the courtside seating area, ensuring the players didn’t collide with Obama as the play unraveled.
In a moment that unfolded in a split-second, Obama reached out and caught the basketball cleanly with both hands, his lightning-fast reflexes clearly on display.
He then casually returned the ball toward the court before shaking hands and standing up to hug Booker.
Renowned basketball fan Spike Lee also had the honor of a courtside seat for the game.
The director, who is a fan of the New York Knicks, sported a bright orange beret and his signature sunglasses as he zoned in on the action.
Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, cutting a casual figure in a black turtleneck sweater and light blue jeans, was joined by Kelly Rowland.
The former member of Destiny’s Child had dressed to impress, looking chic in a chocolate-brown, leather suit and cream patterned court shoes.
Celebrity chef Guy Fieri was sandwiched between comedian Keegan-Michael Key and rapper 2 Chainz, while hitmaker Ludacris was spotted in the stands with his model wife, Eudoxie Mbouguiengue.
Barack Obama and his wife Michelle also enjoyed the All-Star Game from courtside seats
Basketball fan and director Spike Lee chats with popstar and actress Brandy at the All-Star game
Ludacris was among the famous faces that packed the stands inside the Intuit Dome
Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo (second left) and Kelly Rowland (second right) cut stylish figures as they sat next to one another on the front row
The latest iteration of the main event saw three teams – an all-international team, known as Team World, US Team ‘Stars,’ and US Team ‘Stripes’ – face off in three round-robin-style mini-games.
All three mini-games featured dramatic finishes and appeared to be played at a higher level of competitiveness than most All-Star Games in recent years, suggesting the league’s fourth All-Star format in four years might have finally cracked the code on the long-standing question of how to make this midseason showcase more entertaining.
Kawhi Leonard hit a tie-breaking three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to cap his 31-point barrage in 12 minutes, beating the World team 48-45 and sending his ‘Stripes’ team into the final against their fellow Americans on the ‘Stars’ at the NBA All-Star Game.
The seven-time All-Star went 11 of 13 and 6 of 7 from beyond the arc despite a reasonable defensive effort from the World team led by Victor Wembanyama, who scored 19 points before missing a tying 3-pointer attempt at the buzzer.
LeBron James put the Stripes ahead with 31 seconds left on a putback dunk, but Wembanyama hit two free throws to tie it before Leonard’s dagger.
The public of the Sussexes came as security concerns prevent them coming to the UK together.
She has attended similar ceremonies in both Canada and Germany, and sources say she is keen to do the same in the UK, provided safety concerns are addressed.
However, it is said she will only set foot on British soil, if security arrangements are put in place for her and Prince Harry.
Talks over whether Harry and Meghan will receive British taxpayer-funded protection during the visit remain ongoing.
In December, Prince Harry was said to be thrilled the Home Office was reviewing his security provisions in the UK following a long-running legal battle.
Of Meghan’s potential British visit this summer, a source told The Sun: ‘Security is always going to be the deciding factor in this.’
The Invictus Games were founded by Harry to support wounded and injured service personnel and veterans.
And although official details of the Birmingham countdown celebrations have yet to be confirmed, ceremonial appearances involving the Sussexes are expected.
