Harry was ‘very guarded’ and made ITV chat into ‘political interview’ body language expert reveals 

Prince Harry was “very cautious” and turned his ITV into a “political interview” because he was “squirming to avoid playing ball” when asked about William, a body language expert has said.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, sat down with ITV’s Tom Bradby as part of a publicity blitz for his new memoir Spare.

In the book, Harry claims that his brother William invoked their mother’s memory during a discussion about his interview with Oprah.

The duke wrote that William grew hot as they talked after his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021.

Harry claims he was trying to address the harassment allegations against Meghan, before alleging that William was “really furious” and grabbed him when he tried to walk away.

Body language expert Judi James told MailOnline Harry showed “evasiveness” and “awkwardness” when discussing the breakup with his brother.

She added: “Tom Bradbury uses a first-person role-playing technique when questioning Harry about William. He takes on William’s role, body language and words, depicting possible bewilderment and the feeling that Harry has betrayed him.

“It is a powerful technique that can aim to prompt the interviewee to respond in kind or to produce a more realistic response. Role-playing like this can seem a bit over the top, but in an emotional situation it can often trigger reactions that normal questions can’t.

“However, Harry gets very guarded here, which makes it sound like a political interview.” He performs a cutting ritual, putting a hand to his nose. This can often show a desire to want to cover or hide the mouth or part of the face, which in turn can appear evasive.

Ms James continues: “When Tom says in the role of William ‘How could you do this to me?’ Harry squirms to avoid playing the ball.His eyes move to the right and also up.Avoiding eye contact like this can also hint at discomfort or evasiveness.

‘When Tom presses further, asking about ‘invading the privacy of your nearest and dearest’, Harry touches his nose and sniffs, hiding what looks like a grimace or pain. His responses become less direct and more political, as he says that William could say a lot of things instead of making more specific speculations.

Speaking about his mother’s death, Harry recalled how he was “unable to show any emotion” in public after her fatal car accident in 1997, and that he had shed only tears when she was buried.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, sat down with ITV’s Tom Bradby as part of a publicity blitz for his new memoir Spare

Prince Harry pictured with his brother, Prince William, and their father, Prince Charles, at Princess Diana’s funeral.

She also spoke of feeling “some guilt” as she waved to the crowds that gathered to pay their respects to her mother outside Kensington Palace.

Ms James described how Harry tried to show a “sign of bravado” but was probably masking pain.

She said: “Harry’s body language when talking about his mother’s death and his reactions and feelings at the time suggest a dissociation, as if it’s still too raw and painful to fully immerse himself in the narrative.”

‘He begins by using an incongruous signal. His eyes roll to the side and he makes a very weak smile that is applied as a sign of bravado. This is usually a sign that someone is masking, that is, hiding their pain or grief from them.

His eyes then roll upward in a slashing ritual and here we can glimpse the pain as his mouth stretches into a horizontal grimace revealing his lower teeth, like a physical grimace.

“But then he seems to take an alien view, almost as if he were a commentator on his own documentary. His left hand moves in a directorial gesture to suggest control as he steps away from the first person as if he were speaking of another person.

‘The two people most loved by her couldn’t show any emotion’ sounds like she’s looking at these two tragic children instead of diving in and identifying with her young self and, again, the suggestion is that it’s still too raw. for him to take care of.

Prince Harry sat down tonight for his first primetime interview to promote his memoir, Spare

The Duke of Sussex speaks often about his mother in his new memoir Spare, due to be published in the UK on January 10.

“Everybody thought and felt like they knew our mother, and the two people closest to her, the two people dearest to her, couldn’t show any emotion at that moment,” he tells presenter Tom Bradby.

Harry also reveals how his father sat him on a bed before breaking the news.

He says Prince Charles called him “my dear son” before telling him his mother was unlikely to survive the head injuries sustained in the crash in Paris in the early hours of August 31, 1997.

The prince paints the picture of an emotionally distant father, saying that Charles “was not good at expressing his emotions.”

In a passage read on ITV, Harry says: “What I do remember with astonishing clarity is that I didn’t cry.” Not a tear. My father did not hug me.

In the book, the duke remembers asking to visit his mother while she was in the hospital.

However, he says his father explained that she “hasn’t recovered any more”, before saying he was left alone in his room until the next morning.

He recalled that he and his brother William were banned from watching television so they wouldn’t see the news of the car accident.