Prince Harry’s Subtle Body Language Signal in New Netflix Trailer Shows He’s ‘Uncomfortable’ About Leaving Royal Family, Expert Says
A body language expert analyzed Prince Harry’s gestures and expressions in the newest trailer for the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. According to the expert, Harry showed a variety of body language signals that indicated his feelings about leaving the royal family.
Netflix releases new ‘Harry & Meghan’ trailer
On Dec. 12, Netflix released the latest trailer for Harry & Meghan. The trailer teased more details about Prince Harry and Meghan’s struggles with life in the royal family that made them want to leave it all behind in 2020.
Harry explains in the video, “They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.” It’s unclear if he was speaking about the royal family or the media, however.
Meghan also reveals in the trailer, “I wasn’t being thrown to the wolves, I was being fed to the wolves.”
Expert analyzes Prince Harry’s body language in new Netflix docuseries trailer
Body language expert Judi James provided her analysis of the trailer to The Sun, pointing out Harry’s gestures and expressions conveyed “five different and apparently contrasting states.”
She explained, “First we have the power pose. Harry adopts a classic business person’s power pose as he says ‘I wonder what would have happened had we not got out when we did.’”
James noted, “His elbows are on the arms of his chair and his hands are lightly joined in front of his chin to create a bridging ritual, where his lower arms and hands form a bridge shape.”
The body language expert looked at the message his hands and fingers conveyed as well. “His fingers in this bridge perform a confident metronomic gesture by tapping lightly. This all gives the impression of a high-status individual making an evaluation of a situation,” she explained.
James continued, “His thumbs are steepled in this light clasp, which is another power/status gesture. His chin is slightly raised and he seems to do a long blink. This makes him look authoritative.”
Expert says one gesture shows Harry is ‘uncomfortable or unsure’ about leaving royal family
Harry’s body language also shows he’s “less assured” at one point, James said. “Then we see a less assured gesture as Harry says ‘I said we need to get out of here.’ He is shot from the side now and his body language looks incongruent,” she noted.
James found it significant that some of Harry’s fingers covered his mouth. “Covering your mouth to hide it as you speak will often suggest you’re not sure about your own words and putting them in your mouth hints you’re saying something you’re uncomfortable or unsure about sharing,” she explained.
There’s a big mood contrast with a clip of a self-recorded video of Harry saying they’re on the “freedom flight” to the US. “We then see a giggling Harry in his ‘freedom flight’ selfie as well as the shots of Meghan and Harry jumping about to expose their inner, happy and presumably ‘free’ child state,” James said.
Prince Harry displays signs of ‘persuasion’ and being ready to fight, according to expert
Harry’s body language conveys “persuasion” next. “His eyes are rounded and wide to camera as he says ‘…happy to lie to protect my brother,’” James pointed out.
“He is shown with a head tilt, which suggests a desire to be liked, and he uses a stacking gesture with both hands thrown to his left to mime or signal some moving of things into his past as he reveals his key reason for not just getting on with his idyllic new life: ‘In order for us to move to our second chapter we have to finish our first,’” the body language expert said.
She added, “He has used a similar thrusting of his hands to his left when speaking about William in the past.”
The final body language gestures in the trailer indicate Prince Harry is ready for a fight, James said. “Harry’s final ritual looks all about gearing for a fight,” she said. “When he says it is ‘worth fighting for’ he rolls or judders his shoulders as though bracing or preparing for an actual fight,” James shared.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
