Prince Harry, who will celebrate his 41st birthday on Monday, has spent his entire life in the public eye.
Recently crowned the most Google-searched royal in the past year, experts from a whole host of disciplines – from foot experts to lip readers – have weighed in with their interpretation of why he acts the way he does.
But perhaps the most revealing of all of his high-profile events was his wedding to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, which was watched by 1.9billion people worldwide
Seven years on, leading body language expert Judi James revisited a series of clips from the Sussexes’ wedding with the benefit of hindsight.
She told the Daily Mail: ‘It was Harry’s role to be the caring, dashing prince here, showing Meghan the ropes and inducting her into the challenges of royal life.
‘He looked proud of her and proud of his royal status.
‘Both Harry and Meghan have an obsessive-looking desire to be loved and this was exactly the response they were shown by the public, boosting Harry to what might have been his confidence peak.’
In 2018, Harry was deemed ‘likeable’ by 77 per cent of respondents in a poll of 3,600 Brits by YouGov between May and October.
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Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, was watched by 1.9billion people worldwide
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Body language expert Judi James said: ‘When Harry spoke to Prince William, his best man, the words were delivered with signals of anxiety’
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Judi said: ‘When Meghan first arrived and Harry rose to his feet, he was seen rocking slightly from side to side and sucking his lower lip in’
Outranking the Queen and Prince William, only seven per cent of those surveyed had a negative opinion of Harry, while 13 per cent had a neutral one
This comes in stark contrast to the latest YouGov poll which found he was disliked by 44 per cent of people.
Judi continued: ‘Harry was an intensely nervous-looking groom at his own wedding, right up to the moment when Meghan arrived and locked eyes with him.
‘As he waited at the top of the aisle, his expression fluctuated between solemn and a hollow-eyed gaze of reflection.
‘His face became pale, but his cheeks reddened, suggesting a state of tearfulness.
‘When he spoke to William, his best man, the words were delivered with signals of anxiety and, despite having been trying to joke with Harry earlier, even William seemed to think it best to mirror his unsmiling state by then.
‘When Meghan first arrived and he rose to his feet, he was seen rocking slightly from side to side and sucking his lower lip in.
‘There was what looked like a nervous smile of relief as he realised Meghan was on her way, and then his whole non-verbal state and his demeanour seemed to change once he finally locked eyes with her.’
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Judi described Meghan’s solo walk half the way up the aisle as ‘an act of total confidence’
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‘She didn’t falter and there were no non-verbal leakage signals or even micro-gestures to suggest she was in any way nervous,’ Judi said of Meghan
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The body language expert told the Daily Mail: ‘It was Harry’s role to be the caring, dashing prince here, showing Meghan the ropes and inducting her into the challenges of royal life’
‘It’s possible much of his anxiety was nervousness by proxy and he was worried how she was coping walking up the aisle by herself,’ said the body language expert.
‘Once he saw her smile, he adopted a look that could be described as protective and besotted.’
Judi described Meghan’s solo walk half the way up the aisle as ‘an act of total confidence’.
‘She didn’t falter and there were no non-verbal leakage signals or even micro-gestures to suggest she was in any way nervous,’ she said.
‘But when she reached Harry, her demeanour changed too, and the couple achieved a complimentary state of protective vulnerability.
‘Meghan glanced down coyly as Harry gazed at her, and she giggled to suggest that air of vulnerability.
‘This triggered the stronger, more protective side in Harry, and his nervousness seemed to erode quickly.
‘Meghan continued the theme of coyness with some tentative waves from the carriage.
‘It was clear that Harry was now in “hosting” mode, introducing his bride to her new country, to the royal firm and to the fans with a protective eye.’
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Harry lifts Meghan’s veil during their wedding service, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
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Meghan and Harry’s wedding at St George’s Chapel was described as the ‘royal social event of the year’ for 2018
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Judi wrote: ‘Meghan glanced down coyly as Harry gazed at her and she giggled to suggest that air of vulnerability’
Judi previously offered her interpretation of Meghan’s first major event on behalf of the Royal Family.
Just a month before the royal wedding, Meghan joined Harry to meet youth delegates taking part in the high-profile Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London.
It marked an important step in introducing Harry’s bride-to-be to the world stage and came as a surprise to royal observers, as it is unusual for someone who has not yet married into the Royal Family to be involved in such a high-profile occasion.
Judi said the couple’s dynamic showed ‘green shoots of Meghan inducting Harry into the etiquette of non-royal life’.
One moment in particular showed Meghan attempting to walk in front of Harry, which goes against royal protocol.
Harry also takes a step forward to shake hands with the man opposite him, causing the two to bump into each other.
The Prince promptly stepped back, before apologising and allowing Meghan to take the lead.
Coming off the back of her role as Rachel Zane in Suits, Meghan was used to the spotlight so it was not entirely surprising that the soon-to-be Duchess took the reins.
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‘The body language evolution of this change has seen Harry recently looking like the “plus one” to Meghan’s confident and gracious star,’ Judi told the Mail
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Harry and Meghan exit St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle after their royal wedding ceremony with their family behind them
In the time since the wedding – dubbed the ‘royal social event of the year’ for 2018 – Harry and Meghan have taken multiple opportunities to criticise the Royal Family, including their high-profile interview with Oprah Winfrey.
In January 2020, Harry and Meghan ‘stepped back’ from their positions as senior working royals and moved to Montecito in July, beginning the chain of events which would be dubbed ‘Megxit’ by the press.
In recent events, including ‘royal style’ engagements, it is often Meghan who leads Harry, who tends to hang back and display more signs of anxiety, according to the body language expert.
Earlier this year, the couple, now long-settled into life across the pond, made headlines at the Time100 New York summit after Meghan said she was the ‘happiest’ she had ever been, just weeks after her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, was panned by critics.
At the time, the Daily Mail reported that Meghan took centre stage – leaving Harry assuming the role of ‘spare’ once again.
Judi pointed out an ‘awkward’ dynamic between the pair, telling the Daily Mail: ‘This was a body language moment that appeared to define how Harry had swapped life as a royal “spare” for a life as a Montecito “spare”, looking more like Meghan’s security here than her high-status, regal husband.’
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‘Meghan continued the theme of coyness with some tentative waves from the carriage,’ wrote Judi
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In recent events, including ‘royal style’ engagements, it is often Meghan who leads Harry, who tends to hang back and display more signs of anxiety, according to the body language expert
Reflecting on how Harry’s body language has altered since the royal wedding, Judi said: ‘Harry had a complete change of role, status and lifestyle once he moved to the US, and many of his behaviours and body language with Meghan made a complete and powerful turnabout.
‘In the UK, he was the protector and the host to his wife. All the contacts she met were new to her: his family, friends and charity people.
‘She had to start from scratch and learn a whole new way of life as a royal.
‘In the US, it was Meghan hosting and Harry the one meeting her contacts and friends.
‘He’d introduced her to a royal way of life, and she was introducing him to a celebrity one. She’d had to wear the pantyhose in the UK, but now he got to go around barefoot in the US as he adapted to her lifestyle.
‘The body language evolution of this change has seen Harry recently looking like the “plus one” to Meghan’s confident and gracious star.
‘His emotional confidence might have grown and matured with his wife and two children keeping him grounded, but his body language can often reveal a man being lovingly guided, steered and reassured and rewarded by his talented and confident wife.
‘Her star status in the US and her self-assured performances and appearances have made him appear less assured a lot of the time.
‘Interestingly, both states appear complementary for the couple.’
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Judi said: ‘Harry had a complete change of role, status and lifestyle once he moved to the US, and many of his behaviours and body language with Meghan made a complete and powerful turnabout’
She continued: ‘Harry’s protective, dashing prince in the UK looked partially triggered by Meghan’s lack of royal experience.
‘We saw him correcting her on the balcony once with a rather authoritative stare and nod. But in the US, he appears comfortable handing the leadership baton over to Meghan.
‘When she dominates at events he looks happily compliant, hopping about and allowing himself to be patted, tapped or steered into place.
‘There is even a hint of a maternal link in the way he will take on a more compliant role at times.
‘We might have seen a re-boot of the “fun, playful Prince” during his recent visit to the UK, but there were initial signals of anxiety as he arrived at events alone and he was seen playing with his wedding ring to suggest he now misses Meghan’s support and leadership when he’s under pressure.’
It comes as former Buckingham Palace butler Grant Harrold claimed in his upcoming book, The Royal Butler, that everything in the Royal Family changed after Harry met Meghan in July 2016.
In an interview, Harrold said: ‘As soon as Meghan came into his life, everything changed.
‘It could be that Harry had his own awakening and suddenly decided he didn’t like the organisation, but the problem is that Meghan was with him when it happened.’
While it is impossible to gain a full picture of Harry and Meghan’s relationship dynamic due to public events offering just a small window into their lives, their body language at events offers a useful insight into how they may behave once the cameras are off.
