Prince Harry "Comes Into His Own When He Appears Solo," Body Language Expert Says

Prince Harry appeared at a San Francisco event over the past two days in his capacity as BetterUp's chief impact officer.

There, the Duke of Sussex took to the Uplift stage alongside BetterUp co-founder and CEO Alexi Robichaux to speak about the future of work. Other speakers at the event included actress Issa Rae and Peloton star Robin Arzón.

The duke seemed very much in his element on stage, appearing relaxed, confident and happy—which is telling, for one body language expert.

"There are some really great moments in Prince Harry’s body language when on stage at the summit in San Francisco," Darren Stanton tells Marie Claire on behalf of Betfair Casino (opens in new tab).

"Although he clearly loves being with Meghan and having her by his side, Harry really comes into his own when he appears solo and is speaking on issues he is deeply passionate about.

"We are seeing more and more fantastic body language displayed by Harry at these solo events and his confidence is developing hugely. This change in confidence is noticeable by a number of gestures Harry displayed.

"For instance, if you take your hands and place all your fingers together to create a point—like many politicians do—moving within unison of the points you’re making, it suggests you are being truly authentic and sincere.

"Harry’s hand movement was unconsciously in rhythm with what he was saying verbally, suggesting he was speaking from the heart and truly conveying the passion he wanted to get across."

Although Prince Harry received a certain amount of backlash following the release of his memoir Spare, he didn't let this affect the way he showed up for Uplift, according to Stanton.

"He has been able to successfully separate the attention surrounding him following the publication of his book from the public appearances he has made since its release—and he isn’t letting the furore affect his ability to personally connect with an audience when the spotlight is on him," the expert says.

"I think Harry saw the release of his book as a therapeutic process and it has since strengthened his resolve to move forward and focus on his passions."

Although the Sussexes made the most headlines with some of their splashier media projects—Spare, their Netflix docuseries—Prince Harry has been involved in a ton of other things since moving to California. As well as his CIO role at BetterUp, he notably continues his work with many different charities, and regularly participates in polo matches, too.

Speaking at Uplift, Harry summed up what's most important to him in life. "For me, personally, I get so much out of helping other people. To be in the service of others is what drives me, what gets me out of bed every day," he said (via People).