The Duke of Sussex visited Kyiv, Ukraine, and according to a body language expert, photographs from his trip send a strong message to the Royal Family amid their ongoing feud
Last week saw Prince Harry brush off the damage caused by his lingering family feud as he launched a charm-offensive in the UK.
After a string of charity appearances, Duke of Sussex, 41, met with his previously estranged father Prince Charles before popping up in Kyiv, Ukraine, to promote the work of his Invictus Games Foundation (IGF).
It was there that he gave an explosive interview to The Guardian, insisting that his ‘conscience was clear’ despite the havoc wreaked by his tell-all autobiography, Spare.
“I don’t believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public. It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear,” he said.
“I know that [speaking out] annoys some people and it goes against the narrative. The book? It was a series of corrections to stories already out there. One point of view had been put out and it needed to be corrected.”
Looking at the photos from the chat, body language expert Judi James says she Harry genuinely believes in his blamelessness and wants to be the one with the power.
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Judi exclusively told the Mirror: “The photo that comes with the quote ‘my conscience is clear’ shows the most dramatic pose with Harry throwing both hands out in the air, palms-up and fingers splayed in a denial ritual that would normally be associated with claims of a lack of blame.
“As a gesture, it would seem to give the impression of a total lack of any doubt or blame on his side, almost a throwing away sense of rejection of the idea. If the phrase is normally ‘It takes two to tango’ in any dispute, Harry’s body language in this pic seems to imply he sees any tango as a solo dance that doesn’t involve him.
“The ‘interview’ photo looks incredibly awkward, though, probably more for the guy who is presumably the journalist than for Harry himself.
“The angle of Harry’s body is diagonal on the sofa so that he’s turned sideways and partly sprawled to connect with the other man. His legs are crossed with one crooked, and one of his hands is tucked between his legs in a comfort gesture that suggests the opposite to feeling relaxed and open.”
The expert continued: “The arm that is hooked over the back of the chair has the hand with its back showing to the other man as Harry appears to be speaking, and his finger is pointing as though he’s wanting to make a very emphatic point here.
“This sense of a need to make emphatic points is endorsed by his strong eye contact and his raised brows of authority as he looks at the man. Added to the man’s extremely awkward pose, it looks as though Harry wants to appear very much in charge of this interview.”
One other photo saw Harry ‘doing what he does best’, as he casually ate a portion of chips from a food truck while speaking to others involved in the Invictus Games.
Analysing the photo closer, the body language expert explained: “Of course, Harry looks relaxed, confident and comfortable in the photo eating takeaway.
“This is Harry doing what he does best, mingling informally, his legs splayed and his expression suggesting he’s relishing the conversation and the chance to show he is the ‘royal’ who can appear normal in a relatably casual scenario.”
