There were plenty of eyes on Prince Harry when he attended his father King Charles III’s coronation on May 6. His appearance marked the first time the duke had been seen around his family since the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries and his memoir Spare made headlines over allegations about the royals.
While some thought Harry would have been nervous to see many of his relatives on the world stage, a body language expert says there was none of that and observed the prince acting “cocky” and showing “defiance.”
Prince Harry arrived at the coronation alone
In April, Buckingham Palace announced that Harry would attend the coronation himself while his wife, Meghan Markle, stayed at home with their children in California.
He arrived at Westminster Abbey alone for the ceremony and began chatting with Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, as well as Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, before they walked inside. And that’s when a body language expert noticed Harry acting a way many didn’t expect.
Body language expert says Harry was acting ‘cockier’ than we’ve seen him recently
Body language expert Judi James spoke to Fabulous about the Duke of Sussex’s demeanor when he arrived at the Abbey.
“If we were expecting some signals of anxiety, reflection, or even the look of a penitent, Harry decided to disappoint the critics,” James said. “He arrived in the guise of Harry the joker, miming Eugenie’s heavily-pregnant bump to make his cousin and her husband Jack laugh, before falling back to walk in alone, not in a way that looked solitary or shameful, but with a jaunty stride and beaming grin as he spoke or acknowledged people in the congregation like old friends.
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“It was a very counterintuitive act of body language defiance and resilience and a very different, cockier Harry than we have seen on his most recent visits to the UK.”
The expert also observed the duke showing that he was ‘at ease’
James noticed Harry “playing the joker” again when he sat in his seat and started pulling faces which she believes showed he “felt at ease.”
“Cocky Harry again here, yes he straightens his tie but the bobbing around in the seat and wincing is pure joker prince again, suggesting the seats are too hard,” James explained. “He’s joking with Eduardo and laughing with someone to his left, rocking from side to side to get maximum sociability.”
The prince was seen heading to the airport shortly after the ceremony concluded to fly home in time to celebrate his son Archie’s 4th birthday.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
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