Prince Harry Seemed "Nervous" While "Confident" Meghan Markle Told the Story of Their First Date: Body Language Expert

He was embarrassed for being late.

Announcement Of Prince Harry's Engagement To Meghan Markle
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just released three episodes of the Netflix docuseries about their lives, and they generously told us the full story of how they met and how their relationship came to be.

Shortly after they caught each other's eye on Instagram and did some strategic DM-sliding, the two went for dinner in London's Soho neighborhood.

It all got off to an inauspicious start when Prince Harry was caught in traffic and arrived 30 minutes late, causing his now-wife to wonder whether he always did this because of an oversized ego.

But when her prince charming arrived all red and sweaty and huffing, she realized that it was all an honest mistake, and the date went swimmingly from then on.

It was a really sweet memory, but of course Harry was a little embarrassed by it all, emotions which the retelling of it brought back in him, according to one body language expert.

"When we think about a memory the unconscious mind believes we are reliving it, so therefore evokes all of the emotion that the person felt in that memory," Darren Stanton tells Marie Claire on behalf of Betfair Casino.

"Whilst speaking about their first date, Prince Harry started to go a little bit red, which is congruent with embarrassment. He then started to touch his face and nose—signals which are referred to as pacifying gestures. They are self-reassuring gestures that give us comfort, suggesting in this case Harry still isn’t hugely comfortable discussing his relationship and has the urge to shy away from it.

"Even though Meghan and Harry are in the present day speaking about their first date, the unconscious mind of Harry is triggering all of those past feelings and that is why we saw him go red and become fidgety."

For Stanton, the two Sussexes' different demeanors aren't surprising considering what we know about them.

"In terms of body language in this particular clip, Harry comes across as jittery and quite nervous; however Meghan is completely calm and controlled," he explains.

"Let’s not forget that she is very used to doing pieces on camera through her acting career. She knows how to perform to her best.

"In this particular clip, she is definitely the most confident person due to the fact that her body language conveys composure."

So interesting!

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.