Prince Harry's Body Language Shows How Much He Loves Polo

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is seen playing polo on June 10, 2022 in Carpinteria, California

(Image credit: Photo by MEGA / Getty)

It's been evident how connected Prince Harry feels to polo while playing in Southern California.

The Duke of Sussex is part of a local team called Los Padres, who last played on Friday in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County.

The royal has practiced the horseback sport since he was a little kid, and it's a passion he notably shares with his father Prince Charles and his brother Prince William—both of whom he reportedly has a fairly strained relationship with these days, since he and his wife Meghan Markle left their roles as senior British royals.

But while he's playing, the duke seems incredibly happy, according to body language expert Darren Stanton.

"It’s really interesting that Prince Harry appears always at his most relaxed and genuinely most happy when he’s either at the Invictus Games interacting with all the other athletes and attendees, or at other sporting occasions such as the polo," Stanton tells Marie Claire on behalf of Slingo.

"When Harry is on his horse, you can see the determination in his face to do well at heart. Harry is a team player having been in the military, so he sometimes must find it quite hard to be in California away from loved ones in the U.K. However, at the weekend polo game his face was one of absolute elation and happiness as he played the sport and mingled with others.

"With his whole face engaged and his crow's feet visible at the side of his eyes in photos from the event, it’s clearly a genuine feeling of happiness.

"Prince Harry spoke with David Foster, with whom he appears to have forged a great friendship, and you can see the excitement in Harry‘s body language when he’s talking with David."

The royal spoke with Foster and his wife Katharine McPhee on the sidelines.

Stanton also commented on the duke's demeanor while spending time away from his wife.

"Harry also seems to be more of his own man when attending events on his own, as he has a confidence and resilience we don’t tend to see when he’s accompanied by Meghan Markle," h adds.

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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.