Prince Harry Was His Old Self at the Coronation, But Some People Weren't Willing to "Engage" With Him, Expert Says

But he did have his friendly cousins.

Prince Harry chatting with cousins at King Charles' Coronation
(Image credit: Getty)

Prince Harry attended the Coronation alone, and far from looking nervous to be reunited with some of his estranged family, he seemed in great spirits on the day.

The Duke of Sussex was seen smiling, and happily chatting away with his cousins, as well as greeting people in Westminster Abbey as he found his seat, telling them, "hello," "morning," or "nice to see you."

But for one communication expert, Harry still wasn't given as warm a reception as he might have wanted.

"Prince Harry arriving, I think we got our first glimpse of Harry for years," Louise Mahler told Sunrise Australia (via the Mirror).

"He was the old Harry, coming in smiling, laughing—walking tall and looking magnificent.

"The fact that he was on his own was a benefit, but his issue was he thought he could look at people and speak to them, and they would speak back to him, but it didn’t work.

"It would’ve been better if he just looked and smiled, but he focused in on people wanting a conversation—but they didn't [engage] and that must’ve been difficult for him."

From what I can observe, I think Mahler might be reaching a little: Harry was briefly greeting members of the congregation as he walked towards his seat, but it would have been inappropriate for him to stop and have an actual conversation with anyone at this point in the proceedings. Still, it's true that the people he greeted didn't seem to respond particularly warmly.

Either way, it's clear from footage of the day (and lip readers' various analyses) that Harry was unequivocally welcomed by Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and their respective husbands, Jack Brooksbank and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. So! It's all good!

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

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 InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. 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.