Prince Harry has broken cover for the first time since the Princess Lilibet name scandal – and a body language expert believes he showed a sign of ‘frustration’.
The Duke of Sussex was seen going for a run in Santa Barbara, California, just days a royal biographer claimed Queen Elizabeth II had been angered by Harry and wife Meghan Markle’s decision to use her name.
Harry wore black black running shorts with a mathcing black anorak and gillet with a bright blue beanie hat as he braced the cold January temperatures.
Body language expert Judi James believes Harry gave a telling clue that he is ‘angry’ at the situation.
“Harry’s body language here suggests anger. He has previously been seen with his bottom lip sucked in and the gesture will often suggest silent, more reflective regret and self-comfort as the lips are clamped to show a lack of a desire to speak, but this gesture takes things further,” she told The Mirror.
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She added: “Harry not only sucks his lips inward but he also appears to be biting down on the bottom lip and frowning. This lip-biting looks more like a self-attack gesture, like nail biting, which can hint at frustration, where someone begins to ‘attack’ themselves with small acts, when they feel thwarted about ‘attacking’ someone else.
“Whether it is a self-attack or not it is an unusual gesture to use when you’re running. Running is usually a more facial muscle-relaxing exercise where the lips are parted to break body tension and suck in air. Lip clamping is more often seen in moments of physical strength, like lifting weights. Biting down on your lip when running could also lead to a hurt lip, which is what makes Harry look angry in these poses.”
It’s the first time Harry has broken cover since the controversy surrounding his daughter’s name.
It has been claimed the late-Queen told her aides: “I don’t own the palaces, I don’t own the paintings, the only thing I own is my name…now they’ve taken that.”
According to reports, after the birth of Princess Lilibet in 2021, Harry and Meghan asked the law firm Schillings to tell broadcasters saying any reports Queen Elizabeth II had not given permission for the name Lilibet to be used were not true.
However, when the pair allegedly asked Buckingham Palace to support their version of events, they were rebuffed.
Harry and Meghan have remained silent on the matter and not released an official statement. This is the same policy they took after Omid Scobie’s Endgame was released late last year.
