Prince Harry appeared “nervous” and performed “anxiety moves” before delivering a speech in New York today, a body language expert has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex, who turned 40 last week, appeared on stage in the Big Apple without his wife Meghan Markle to talk about mental health and climate change with two young winners of an award given in memory of Princess Diana.
There, dressed in a tight navy suit and wearing a gold Diana Award pin, the Duke cracked his knuckles, tugged at his jacket and pulled at his tie, while his legs seemed to tremble ever so slightly.
According to body language expert Judi James, these gestures were clear signs of “nervousness” and “fear”, but she added that he may have been well aware of them.
Responding to a video of the Duke at the event, Judi explained: ‘It’s incredible that in the space of 28 seconds Harry has performed no fewer than 19 gestures or rituals of fear or nervousness.
Prince Harry appeared ‘nervous’ and ‘anxious’ at an event in New York today, a body language expert claimed
Body language expert Judi James says the Duke performed ’19 rituals of fear’, including pulling on his tie (as seen here)
“He’s known as a nervous speaker, but he’s rarely, if ever, given such concentrated signals. And the fact that he’s doing this onstage rather than in private, offstage, makes his body language seem even more strange. It almost seems as if he’s happy or comfortable in expressing a message of inner anxiety.”
In addition to his sharp suit, the prince wore a sky-blue shirt and a darker-colored tie, which Judy said he had put on “at least four times.”
She called the moments when he played with his clothes “rituals,” which the expert said were a sign of “nervousness” and “confidence.”
“Self-touch and checking rituals like this indicate nervousness and a desire to create little barriers, plus a certain level of self-confidence,” she said.
‘Harry tucks in his jacket while sitting before straightening his tie, both of which are standard procedures. But then he pulls on his tie at least four more times and tugs on his jacket three more times.
‘He also bounces in his chair, rubs his knees with both hands, sways in his chair, shakes his legs twice in a row, and finishes by interlacing his fingers to crack his knuckles, rubbing his thumbs together, and then rubbing them over his mouth.’
She added that his actions could have been mistaken for “energetic excitement” if it weren’t for the fact that his facial expressions reflected a look of fear, particularly “a frown and a pulling back of his lips.”
“This could be a way to warm up for a performance or it could be that the subject matter stirred up strong emotions. Or maybe he was just overcome with last-minute nerves,” she continued.
The prince appeared on stage in New York today without his wife Meghan Markle, to talk about mental health and climate change with two young winners of a Legacy Award given in memory of Princess Diana – but much ado was made about his troubled behaviour
Dressed in a crisp navy suit and wearing a gold Diana Award pin, the Duke cracked his knuckles, tugged at his blazer and pulled at his tie as his legs visibly shook
Although at one point the Duke appeared to be so tense that his face turned bright red, he could also be seen at times with an engaging smile and was pleased with his audience.
While on stage, he spoke about the importance of mental well-being at an event where attendees discussed their climate anxiety.
He personally interviewed Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang of Indonesia and Christina Williams of Jamaica, who were receiving the Legacy Award in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. He joked: ‘For some reason I was given the microphone to ask the questions.’
He told them, “I applaud you for having the confidence to stand on this stage. I know my mother would be incredibly proud of you. Your activism is true to how my mother lived her life.”
Harry then asked: ‘Do you feel that leaders and people in positions of power are listening to you?’ He added that he wanted the Diana Award to support their campaign to tackle climate change and to gain global influence.
According to Judy, his gestures were clear signs of ‘nervousness’ and ‘fear’ – but he may have been aware of his actions
Prince Harry personally interviewed Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia and Christina Williams from Jamaica, who received the Legacy Award in memory of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales
And when asked what gives him hope for the future, he said, “I said it years ago and I’ll say it again. The younger generation is what gives me hope. The courage that you have gives me hope.
“Every one of us needs courage to turn the dial in this world, probably more than ever. We need to listen and act on what you say, because it is your future that is going to be stolen and that is unacceptable.”
His decision to fly alone to New York to meet royals and celebrities before embarking on a solo trip to Britain shows he is determined to ‘create new opportunities’ and ‘assert himself’ after his 40th birthday, experts told MailOnline today.
The Duke of Sussex is away in Montecito for the next eight days and attended a benefit in California hosted by Kevin Costner on Saturday without his American wife.
Harry was also seen occasionally with a winning smile; and was happy with his audience
Last night he attended a dinner organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), where he warmly welcomed Queen Mathilde of Belgium upon her arrival.
During his trip to New York this week, he will also support pet charities and companies including African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award and Travalyst. And this weekend he flies to London for his annual visit to support WellChild at their awards ceremony, again without his wife.
This month, he was said to have planned a weekend away with friends to celebrate his 40th birthday, but he was instead heading with a smiling Meghan to a “double birthday” event thrown for their friend Tyler Perry the night before the prince’s big day.
Biographer Phil Dampier, author of Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words, said: ‘Harry sometimes feels like a spare part and he often looks unhappy when he’s at events in California with Meghan. I think he’s reached a point where he wants more for himself. He’s turned 40 and is probably wondering what the future holds.
‘I think he’s desperately searching for new meaning in his life and that he needs to go out on his own more.
‘He has a few days in New York and then he goes to London for the WellChild event, which he has been involved with for years.
‘He clearly wants to find some causes that he can commit to and that will give his life a purpose.
‘Meghan doesn’t want to come back to this country, so he’ll have to fly alone’.
Harry has reportedly been in touch with some of his old friends in preparation for his visit to the UK.
“I’m sure he’s missing some friends to have a beer with and really relax. The more he does things on his own and starts new projects, the more likely he is to heal himself and eventually resolve some of the divisions with his family, but it’s going to be a long road,” Mr Dampier said.
According to Tom Bower, a royal expert and investigative journalist, Harry’s absence next week shows that he “wants to assert himself on his own.”
He said: ‘It is not just Harry who is repeatedly holding solo events, which indicates a change in his lifestyle and strategy to assert himself – particularly in Britain.’