An expert has called Prince Harry's body language “hard to watch” in his latest video interview. The Duke of Sussex spoke to winners of this year's WellChild Awards via video call from his home in California this week, appearing "visibly emotional" at times as he discussed family life in America and his late grandmother the Queen.
The Mirror reports that body language expert Judi James looked into Harry’s body language during the call and praised the Duke who she said “engaged so well” and “showed empathy” by showing his emotions during the chat with the children. Speaking to the Express.co.uk, Ms James said Harry was "hard to watch" and that his engagement with the children sparked her regret over the fact he was no longer a working member of the royals.
"It’s hard to watch Harry here and not regret the fact that he is no longer a member of the royal firm," she said. "He engages so well and shows empathy with the people he is talking to, as well as exposing his own emotions in a very natural way. He is especially good with the children, who he mirrors and mimics to create some very natural bonds with, and who he talks to directly and easily, rather than talking over them at their parents."
She went on to say that the parents seemed nothing but comfortable when talking to the royal. "He is often self-effacing, offering a sweet, double-handed wave of greeting and telling the first family that his real name is Henry, like their son, but he gets called Harry, adding ‘I have no idea why'."
She also commented on how Harry became "visibly emotional" as he spoke and was "clearly thinking of his own children" at points. "He tells one ‘You sound just like my son Archie’, suggesting his own role as a parent has been triggered, magnifying the empathy," she said.
Ms James also claimed Harry had a “sad expression” when his grandmother the Queen, who died aged 96 on September 8, was mentioned. She said the prince appeared to have picked up some nuances from Stateside too, noting how his “excited” became ‘excided’ and “better” became ‘bedder’.
Linguistic experts from the language learning platform Babbel previously spoke to the Express about the Duke’s changing accent. They said: "Since moving to the US, Harry’s once traditional, royal accent has taken on a more laid back tone, which, to some, might sound like an Americanisation of his accent.
"However it’s more likely due to him dropping Received Pronunciation (RP), which is often the world’s idea of the ‘perfect’ British accent, also referred to as the Queen’s English. What we’re seeing as Harry’s ‘new’ accent is more commonly referred to as an ‘Estuary English’ accent, a well-spoken accent typical of London and the south east of England which is less rigid in its pronunciation than RP, but is still common amongst the upper class.
"Although Estuary English shares a handful of similarities with the American accent (dropping of ‘t’s and the use of contractions like ‘gonna’), it is more likely that Harry simply speaks with an Estuary English accent naturally, and we’re noticing the difference because Harry is embracing his life outside the Royal Family." They added: "It’s clear that Harry is beginning to borrow a selection of popular American slang and phrases (‘pop the hood’, ‘you guys’), although it’s unsurprising considering he’s been living in the US since March 2020."
Read next:
- Prince William's England v Wales plea 'to keep Prince Harry quieter' emerges
-
King Charles' female relative who was born 150 years ago and looks remarkably like him
-
Harry and Meghan don't know if children will have 'prince and princess' titles
-
Harry and Meghan's ten-bedroom UK home that's nothing like a cottage
