Prince Harry’s “lack of bodily engagement” during his walk in London gave him “the option of a face-saving exit” if he received a poor reception, an expert said today.
The Duke of Sussex waved to the crowd as he left St Paul’s Cathedral alone yesterday after a service to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
The estranged royal, who was greeted with cheers from his supporters, smiled as he shook hands and joked with hundreds of people queuing to greet him.
And body language expert Judi James told MailOnline she clearly marked the walk as “brief and improvised through her body language announcement rituals”.
These included “leaning into the crowd and hunching your shoulders to avoid giving the impression that this was a scheduled event,” the psychologist added. He also said he showed “signs of inner anxiety” both before and after the service.
Prince Harry meets the public outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London yesterday.
The Duke of Sussex greets his fans as he leaves St Paul’s Cathedral after the service yesterday.
Prince Harry greets supporters outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London yesterday.
And Ms James noted that Harry “stands back and bows from a distance rather than doing it more as a real, immersive way of saying hello and chatting.”
JUDI JAMES ANALYSIS: ‘Prince Harry walks away and bows from a distance’
By JUDI JAMES
Harry has clearly marked this walk after the service as brief and impromptu through his body language announcement rituals, leaning into the crowd and hunching his shoulders to avoid giving the impression that this was a scheduled event rather than a quick one. movement to record its continued popularity. .
He stands back and bows from a distance rather than doing it more as a real, immersive way to greet and chat, and his lack of bodily engagement probably gives him the option of a face-saving exit if his reception isn’t as warm. .
Harry’s furrowed smile and narrowed eyes suggest that he might be excited and relieved to meet his fans in the UK, although his signs of internal anxiety that were visible on the way to the service are still on display here and might even have increased. .
Harry’s gesture toward his waist on his way to the toilet was a barrier ritual disguised as the buttoning of his jacket.
As he leaves, he places his hand on his stomach and even switches hands when he goes to shake hands with the crowd.
At one point, his left hand also reaches across his jacket and begins to fiddle with the buttonhole.
This placing of the palm of the hand on the stomach is a barrier ritual that he shares with his brother William. Combined with playing with the buttonhole it implies a desire for self-comfort.
For Harry it is also linked to deeper emotions, as he has used it in the past when talking about his mother.
Judi James is a psychologist and body language expert.
She said her “lack of bodily commitment probably gives her the option of leaving to save face if her reception is not so warm.”
Mrs James added: “Harry’s smile and narrowed eyes suggest he might be excited and relieved to meet his fans in the UK.”
As Harry left the cathedral at around 6pm yesterday, he waved to the crowd and was heard asking two New York fans what had brought them to the UK.
When they replied that they were in Britain for a wedding, the Prince jokingly asked if he was “there”, referring to St Paul’s.
The Duke joked to an enthusiastic fan who had her arms outstretched with two phones trying to get the best photo of Harry.
‘Why do you have two phones?’ The river. ‘Has no sense!’
The crowd was heavily guarded by police officers and shouts of ‘we love you, Harry’ could be heard as others shouted with excitement until Harry got into a Range Rover and was driven away.
Earlier, Harry arrived at St Paul’s shortly before 5pm for the service which was also attended by close relatives of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales and a mentor who supported him after her death, along with hundreds of members of the ‘Invictus family’.
Discussing her arrival, Ms James said there were “signs of internal anxiety that were visible on the way to the service” that “were still visible” when she made the subsequent tour, and “may have even increased”.
She said: ‘Harry’s hand gesture towards his waist on his way to the toilet was a barrier ritual disguised as buttoning his jacket.
‘As he leaves, he places his hand on his stomach and even changes hands when he goes to shake hands with the crowd. At one point, his left hand also pulls at his jacket and starts fiddling with the buttonhole.’
He added that “placing your palm on your stomach” is a “barrier ritual” he shares with his estranged brother, Prince William.
Mrs James continued: ‘Combined with buttonhole playing, it implies a desire for self-comfort. For Harry it is also linked to deeper emotions, as he has used it in the past when he talked about his mother. ‘
Among those invited to the service were Diana’s brothers Lady Jane Fellowes and Earl Spencer, and former army officer Mark Dyer, who acted as a mentor to the duke, playing the role of supportive older brother to Harry after Diana’s death. the princess.
Fans take pictures of Prince Harry as he greets well-wishers at St Paul’s yesterday
Prince Harry shakes hands with fans waiting to greet him outside St Paul’s yesterday
Fans take pictures as Prince Harry shakes hands outside St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday
Other notable guests included his cousin Louis Spencer, the Prime Minister’s wife Akshata Murty and his lawyer David Sherbourne.
Crowds had gathered around the protective barriers to watch Harry’s car pull up, and Harry waved to them as he walked up the steps of St Paul’s before being warmly welcomed by the Dean of St Paul’s, the Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett.
The service at St Paul’s Cathedral to recognize the Paralympic-style competition that the royals founded began when, a few miles away, Charles joined guests at the first garden party of the year at Buckingham Palace.
The monarch and his son did not meet during Harry’s brief visit to the United Kingdom due to the king’s “full schedule,” Harry’s spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday.
There have been reports of trust issues, but the statement had a conciliatory tone and mentioned that the duke hoped to “see you soon”.
Harry was inspired to found the global tournament after attending the Warrior Games in Colorado in 2013 and watching wounded U.S. military personnel thrive on the challenge of participating in competitive sports that aided their recovery.
Prince Harry greets the public outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London yesterday.
Police officers monitor the crowd waiting to meet Harry outside St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday.
It then hosted the inaugural games at London’s Olympic Park in 2014 and the tournament was held around the world, from Orlando and Sydney to Dusseldorf in 2023, with the 2025 event being held in Vancouver and Whistler.
The St Paul’s congregation of just over 1,000 gave a standing ovation after former RAF serviceman Michelle Turner, her husband John and daughter Maya read verses from a poem describing their experiences following Mrs’s medical discharge. . Turner, after a tropical illness he contracted while on deployment affected his heart.
Mrs Turner, captain of the UK team for the 2018 Games, told guests: “Wounded, injured, sick and now without a career – consumed by insecurities, pain and fear.”
“Our lives were turned upside down, how could it be that the girl I was supposed to protect was now taking care of me?”
At the end, after his voice broke with emotion as he said ‘Thank you Invictus for bringing me back to life,’ the congregation stood and applauded.
Prince Harry greets fans waiting to greet him outside St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday
Prince Harry hugs his uncle Earl Spencer and aunt Lady Jane Fellowes at St Paul’s yesterday
The Dean of St Paul’s echoed his words in his sermon when he said the Invictus Games Foundation, which organizes the competition, was “…not just changing lives through sport, but literally saving lives”.
Harry later joined some members of the Invictus community for a private reception in the cathedral crypt and is believed to be traveling to Nigeria today, for a tour of the African country with his wife Meghan.
The King is in Surrey today for a military visit and Prince William is in Cornwall on official engagements.
Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Engineers, will visit the 3rd Royal School of Military Engineering in Minley, before speaking to members of the 8th Engineer Brigade, which is the centre’s deployable unit.