Prince Harry ‘torn between leaving Royal duties and staying loyal to family’, as Duke recalls 'panicked' freedom flight
Body language expert unpicks The Duke and Duchess of Sussexes' actions following the final instalment of their Netflix docu-series.
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Prince Harry is ‘torn between leaving Royal duties and remaining loyal to family’, as ‘frustrated’ yet ‘empathetic’ Meghan ‘fully supports’ him, a body language expert has claimed.
- Prince Harry is giving off reactions of being 'torn' about leaving royal duties while 'remaining loyal to his family', according to a body language expert.
- The Duke of Sussex opens up in the final instalment of the sensational Netflix episodes.
- This royal news comes as Princess Diana’s brother breaks silence after Harry & Meghan docuseries (opens in new tab)
Prince Harry still holds ‘a lot of frustration and anger’ towards his family, but was clearly conflicted when it came to leaving behind his Royal duties - according to a body language expert.
In the final episodes of Harry and Meghan Markle's controversial Netflix docu-series (opens in new tab), which dropped today (Thursday 15th December), the couple are seen recalling the events leading up to stepping back as senior working members (opens in new tab) of the Royal family - including a tense discussion between Harry and his family members. Now, body language expert Darren Stanton has opened up on the telling signals that prove the Duke of Sussex has been ‘deeply affected by the situation’.
Speaking on behalf of Betfair Bingo (opens in new tab), Darren has also lifted the lid on the couple’s ‘panicked’ freedom flight to California, why Meghan also showed ‘frustration’ and the ‘massive parallels’ Harry sees in his wife and mother, Princess Diana (opens in new tab).
Speaking about Harry still holding ‘anger and frustration’ over the family meeting, Darren said, "At one point in the documentary, Harry is seen speaking about a tense meeting with William, Charles and the Queen. Harry flashed an apparent expression of anger. It’s clear he still holds a lot of frustration and anger when he thinks back to the situation. He then rubbed his right hand on his knee, which is a self reassurance gesture, before going on to speak about the Queen. His eyes were immediately drawn down and his posture shifted from an emotion of anger into sadness."
Darren continued to analyse, “Overall, Harry showed a combination of stress and anger in the clip. It’s clear he wanted to leave his royal duties, but also wanted to remain loyal to the Queen and to his father. He was being pulled into directions and trying to do his best for his family. From his face, Harry is not a man that can hide stress or worry very well. I believe he has been deeply affected by the whole situation.”
If you haven't yet seen the second set of episodes on Netflix, you can watch the trailer below.
Darren also claims a ‘frustrated’ Meghan ‘fully supports’ Harry, who he says is ‘determined to get their point across’.
He explained how his body language reflected this, “Another part of the documentary showed Harry speaking about the negative media surrounding his wife. Whilst being interviewed, he sat right back in the chair with his shoulders pushed back as far as they could go.
"His body language appeared open and his arms were outstretched, which is a defiance gesture. Someone often adopts this gesture when they are adamant in their belief or completely determined to get their point across. His tone also indicated that he was confident in what he was saying.
He continued, "Harry later flashed expressions of anger when he spoke about his mother and how she was treated. He’s extremely passionate when it comes to his family and looking after them, which is clear from his body language. He sees massive parallels between Meghan and his mother and clearly wants to protect the person that he loves the most."
But while Darren pointed out that "Meghan is often not shown having a soft side" he claimed that it was "most definitely visible in this clip".
He explained why, "It’s clear she fully supports Harry as she allowed him to carry the conversation. She went on to flash expressions of sympathy and empathy, which further highlighted that she is in full agreement with her husband. While Meghan was on hand to support him, she also seemed slightly upset and frustrated by the topic.”
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And finally, when the Duke of Sussex spoke out about that 'freedom flight', Darren claimed ‘stressed’ Harry and Meghan were in a ‘state of panic’ during the actual event.
He pointed out, “There was a real sense of urgency in both Harry and Meghan’s faces as they flew to California. Even though they were thousands of feet above the ground, they both lowered their voices as if they didn’t want to be heard. The couple were obviously in a state of panic to get out of Canada, where they felt exposed.
He continued, "Both Meghan and Harry looked really tired and stressed, while Meghan’s mother also showed empathy for the situation. The fact that Harry called it a ‘freedom flight’ truly explains his mindset at the time. He very much saw it as a cat and mouse game, which was a time sensitive operation. He seems a lot more settled and relaxed in the rest of the documentary compared to the scene of them on the plane. It was very much a turbulent period for Harry and Meghan."
And the contrast could clearly be seen when the couple were talking about starting a family and Meghan's pregnancy, which Darren noted that Harry and Megs, "came across as very in love"
He added, "When speaking about Harry wanting to be a dad, Meghan’s voice dropped to demonstrate a rapid change of emotion from happiness to empathy. It’s apparent Harry has always wanted the family he never really had, after losing his mum and parents’ divorce. The couple clearly want the same things out of life.”
Related Harry and Meghan Netflix docuseries features:
- Netflix docuseries will “further fuel talk of a rivalry” as producers pitted Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton against one another in “utterly explosive" episodes (opens in new tab)
- How the timing of Meghan and Harry's Netflix docu-series could tarnish something special for Kate Middleton (opens in new tab)
- Prince Harry reveals the real way he and Meghan Markle first met in Netflix series and it's so relatable (opens in new tab)
- Meghan Markle details 'amazing' first Christmas with Queen and hilarious Prince Philip chat in Netflix show (opens in new tab)
- Meghan Markle reveals Archie's favourite song to sing - and does the sweetest impression (opens in new tab)
- Prince Harry's one sad regret over coming into Meghan Markle's life (opens in new tab)
- Prince Harry's 'insecurity' revealed by Body Language expert (opens in new tab)
Selina is a Senior Entertainment Writer with more than 14 years of experience in newspapers and magazines. She currently looks after all things Entertainment for Goodto.com, Woman&Home, and My Imperfect Life. Before joining Future Publishing, Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism. She is fully NCTJ and NCE qualified and has 100wpm shorthand. When she's not interviewing celebrities you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories.
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