Left-handedness is an extremely rare trait among humans – is Meghan Markle one of the few that have it?
Meghan Markle is not left-handed. She boasts the ability to do everyday things with both hands, a trait which is known as being ‘ambidextrous’. This means she does things like waving and writing with either her left or right hand.
Read on to learn more about Meghan Markle’s extremely rare attribute.
The One Percenter
This is a term most usually assigned to those at the height of wealth and society – they’re the one percent of people in the world that boast unimaginable wealth and fortune. In Meghan Markle’s case, being a member of the British Royal family, it’s true in a number of ways. In this instance, we use the term to describe her dexterity – she’s ambidextrous, which means she can use both hands to complete everyday tasks such as writing.
This is an attribute that’s extremely rare – less than one percent of people in the world can boast the ability to use both hands to complete the same task, as the vast majority – over 99% – are either left or right hand dominant. It’s surmised that this is down to a perfect balance of the two hemispheres of the brain, also right and left.
These sides – or hemispheres – of the brain accomplish different tasks, and the dominance of either side may lead to different attributes in a person. For example, if a person is left-side dominant, they may be more analytical, while a right-side dominance may denote a more creative streak in a person. Therefore, the ambidextrous ability within Meghan Markle may suggest she is truly a balanced individual.
Meghan Markle has explained that she prefers to carry her handbag and write with her right hand, but she’ll drink, play the guitar and eat using her left hand.
The Royal Preference
While Meghan Markle may be the only person in British Royal history to bear the ability of ambidexterity, she certainly isn’t the only one who boasts the ability to do things with her left hand. This is a rare attribute, but not so uncommon as ambidexterity; it’s estimated that anywhere from eight to fifteen percent of the world’s population is left-handed.
Among the recent Royals, five have stood out as having this somewhat rare ability: the Queen Mother, King George VI, Queen Victoria, Prince William, and his son, Prince George. While there are no special attributes that come from being dominant in either hand, it’s certainly something uncommon that makes a person extra-interesting.
Meghan Markle’s husband – Prince Harry – is right-handed, placing him almost in direct contrast with his wife. It’s likely the two may also have contrasting brain chemistry also – more so if Markle wasn’t ambidextrous and instead opted to make her left-hand the dominant choice. Meghan, being artistic and a natural performer, would almost certainly be right-side dominant, while Harry, the diplomatic ex-soldier, would be left-side brain dominant. As they say though, opposites do attract – so this match-up wouldn’t have been surprising.
However, there are some circumstances wherein Meghan Markle’s royal position supersedes her ambidexterity. One article explains that when entering a room or preparing to greet people, a royal (particularly a princess) should hold their bag or purse in the left hand, ready to greet them and shake their hand appropriately with the right.
Another specific ruling is down to how the royal party walks – they must travel in order of succession, particularly when greeting or entering a room. As a result of this, Meghan Markle must always stand behind her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, as she’s married to Harry’s older brother, Prince William.
Perhaps this long list of nuances and specific rules is part of what made Harry and Meghan detach themselves from their heavy royal responsibilities in 2020.
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