Prince Harry's Coronation Attendance Marked the "Return of the Joker Prince," Body Language Expert Says
He showcased his sense of humor, and it landed.
Though Prince Harry has not had an easy life—as he made clear in his memoir Spare—he was often known as a young man for being the so-called life of the party, i.e. for being a bit of a jokester and knowing how to have a fun time.
Unfortunately, following his and his wife Meghan's very public rift with the Royal Family in recent years, the Duke of Sussex has appeared more subdued, and sometimes even (completely understandably) sad and anxious during official appearances.
But at his father King Charles' Coronation ceremony, despite the noise around Harry's potential attendance in the lead-up to the big day, the 38-year-old royal seemed in a great mood, and was seen smiling and joking around with his cousins and other relatives such as Princess Anne.
"Harry arrived with the Sussex posse, the royal cousins Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands, who have remained friends throughout the royal rifts," body language expert Judi James explained to the Mirror.
"Chatting first to Edo, he then got the attention of Eugenie and Jack and we saw an incredible return of the joker prince as Harry grinned and used two hands cupped widely under his stomach to do what looked like a mime of Eugenie's heavily pregnant state.
"After making the couple laugh, Harry fell back to walk in alone.
"Still smiling and with his cheeks rounded, he then proceeded to perform a display of what looked like rather cocky bravado."
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Explaining what she meant by this, James continued, "His striding walk looked jaunty as he pushed one side of his jacket away before making his way up the aisle nodding, grinning, using eye-brow flash rituals and chatting with people in the congregation as though signaling to the world that he was upbeat, confident and happy to be back."
Putting myself in Harry's shoes, I think putting on this cheerful display will have been the smartest move for him. I mean, you can't fault someone for being happy and friendly. Just saying!
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.