Prince Harry’s Over-the-Top Gestures in Interview Show He’s ‘Craving Attention’ and ‘Desperate’ to Be Heard, According to Body Language Expert
It seems like Prince Harry has been giving interviews non-stop lately. That’s mainly to promote his memoir Spare as the duke has been doing promotional tours for the book since it came out in January.
Now a body language expert has noticed that in one interview, Harry was using gestures that signal just how “desperate” he is to get his story out for anyone who doesn’t know or hasn’t read about it yet.
Prince Harry’s interview with trauma expert
Prince Harry had a virtual chat with trauma therapist Dr. Gabor Maté on March 4. Viewers were charged just over $33.00 to watch the 90-minute livestream in which the duke spoke about some of the difficult experiences he’s had in his life.
The mere fact that Harry sat down to speak with Maté caused backlash. That’s because of the doctor’s previous controversies including when Canadian authorities threatened imprisonment if he didn’t stop treating his patients with psychedelic drugs as well as his comments about the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“Whoever made the arrangements to have this individual appear with Prince Harry, did him no favors,” Rabbi Abraham Cooper of New York’s Simon Wiesenthal Center told the Jewish Chronicle. “If Prince Harry knew this man’s record and still chose him for the interview, our center would criticize the prince for such an inappropriate choice.”
Body language expert says some gestures show duke’s desperation
Body language expert Judi James analyzed Harry’s behavior during his chat with Dr. Maté and spoke to the Daily Mail about the prince’s exaggerated gestures showing that’s he’s “craving attention” and “desperate” to be “heard and understood.”
“Harry’s body language suggests a man desperately keen to speak and get the message across of his personal emotions and traumas,” James said, noting, “His wide leg splay and the way he sits towards the edge of his sofa seat signal confidence and comfort in these ‘reveals.’
“He wears a rueful smile as he speaks, but it’s his dramatic gesticulation that creates the most impact. As Harry talks to the therapist there is clearly no need for him to be drawn out, in fact the opposite seems to be true. His stories and his emotional responses seem to be spilling or pouring out of him, creating these over-congruent gesticulations where his hands draw or illustrate every idea in the air, as though he is desperate for his story to be heard, understood and even felt.”
James added: “Exaggerated gesticulation like this can be a sign of craving attention to be heard and understood. It can also suggest some kind of ‘air-mapping’ for the speaker to get make more sense of the things they are remembering and relating.”
Harry is ‘really happy’ with his book and the reaction it received
Despite some criticism for his revealing book, Harry is said to be very happy with the response Spare has received since its release.
A guest who attended the wedding vow renewal ceremony of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi with Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, revealed to Page Six that the prince has “no regrets” about anything he wrote.
“Harry said he was really happy about the success of the book and the reaction to it,” the fellow guest informed the publication. “He said he had no regrets about any of the revelations, and he’s relieved to have gotten his story out into the world.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
