Prince Harry is currently in Southern Africa after travelling from London to Lesotho for a string of engagements with his beloved charity Sentebale – and one expert believes he made a very telling gesture during a welcome event

Prince Harry’s unusual ‘karate chop’ gesture hinted at his true feelings about being on a solo trip to Africa, according to an expert.

After a fleeting visit to the UK, the Duke of Sussex kicked off a visit to Lesotho by joining a chat around a bonfire as he reunited with his close friend and Sentebale charity co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, who described the duke as “my younger brother Mohale, the warrior”.

Princess Senate Seeiso, the niece of Prince Seeiso, shared footage in her Instagram stories of Harry speaking passionately about the charity, which supports young people with HIV/AIDs as he perched on a chair by a fire during the night-time gathering.

Prince Harry at a bonfire welcome event in Lesotho ( 
Image:
Getty Images for Sentebale)

Harry, in a puffer jacket and dark trousers, described how “stigma is being broken down in this country and also in Botswana”. And body language expert Darren Stanton says it was during this chat that Harry performed the never-before-seen gesture.

He explained: “When we saw Harry sitting by the bonfire speaking about his charity, you could instantly tell how comfortable he felt speaking about what he’s most passionate about. We saw him making a specific hand gesture during his conversation – which we hadn’t seen before.

“We saw him do a karate chop movement, which suggests he felt completely in control and nothing could get in the way of that. His levels of confidence were through the roof, and we have never seen him appear to be so certain of himself. Harry has come on from leaps and bounds in terms of believing in himself and his confidence in what he can achieve independently without reassurance.”

Harry meets youth advocates from Botswana at an event in Lesotho ( 
Image:
Getty Images for Sentebale)
Harry made the solo journey to the tiny mountain kingdom in southern Africa after his brief visit to the UK for the WellChild awards on Monday. Harry’s Sussex.com website recounted the trip under the headline “Lesotho Welcomes Harry Home” and said it “rekindled cherished connections from his childhood”.

Darren, speaking on behalf of Betfair Bingo, added: ” Prince Harry appeared to be on top form during this visit. He spoke with a number of people, and when he did, he leaned in close towards them, showing signs of active listening and giving them his full attention. On one occasion, he purposely lowered himself, which is significant. This means he wanted to show them he respects them and wants to connect with them on a deeper level.

“Harry was also tactile when conversing in many of his one-on-one conversations. He was seen touching their arms while looking directly into their eyeline, which are both examples of him fully engaging and connecting in that moment. Harry had a natural ease and confidence when meeting and speaking with people he never met before.”

Harry spent two months in the kingdom of Lesotho during his gap year when he was 19 in 2004, which inspired him to establish the Sentebale charity two years later, which now also works in Botswana. He came face-to-face with Aids orphans, met other traumatised young people and visited herd boys living a harsh existence looking after cattle in remote mountain areas.

It is his first visit to the country in five years, with his last taking place in 2019, the year he married Meghan Markle. Harry is also due to travel to Johannesburg in South Africa, and take part in a reception with South Africa-based stakeholders and strategic partner Lebec, a women-led finance and philanthropy firm.