On Friday, Prince Harry attended his first formal royal function in two years at St Paul’s Cathedral, and seemed ‘anxious’ over being reduced to B-list status in the royal family, according to an analyst.
The Daily Mail reported body language expert Judi James shortly after Harry and Meghan Markle attended the Queen’s Jubilee thanksgiving ceremony on Friday.
“Harry’s body language changed, but the overriding theme was inner dread,” James says.
“A guy who is an A-list celebrity in the United States was suddenly reduced to the royal B-list,” she continued, “and it did appear to have an understandable impact.”
“His self-touch, clothing-patting, and straightening procedures proclaimed his degrees of inner worry,” James said, “and the way he put his head down in a reduced angle implied humility when he and Meghan listened to the public reaction for the first time.”
She then likened Harry’s body language to that of his brother, Prince William, with whom he is said to be battling at the moment; the two siblings similarly avoided one other during the event on Friday.
“William seemed comfortable and sociable on arrival, but, like his brother, he displayed tiny indicators of what appeared to be inner worry, such as a muscle that worked away in his jaw, an eye-dart, and sucking in of the lips,” James says.
“On his way to his seat, he clasped his hands in the self-protective ‘fig leaf’ stance, and when he passed by his brother on his way out, he elevated his order of service in a barrier ritual that hinted at discomfort as he bent his head slightly in the other direction,” she added.
The viral picture of Prince Harry seeming to enjoy a loud laugh with a fellow royal at the cathedral was also described by James.
“When Harry leaned over and seemed to be executing an open-mouthed smile targeted perhaps towards the Tindalls inside the church, he did suddenly burst out into a couple of ‘fun’ smiles.” But his more humorous demeanor contrasted so sharply with his reserved demeanor that it seemed to be outbursts of inner stress or nervousness,” James said.
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