Prince Harry Abandons "Show-Boating" Attitude for Signs of "Anxiety" at Poignant Engagement in NYC

Prince Harry kicked off his busy schedule in New York City on Monday with an event on the topic of mental health which also honored his late mother Princess Diana.

The Duke of Sussex took part in a panel discussion at the Concordia Annual Summit with Diana Award CEO Dr. Tessy Ojo and two award recipients around the theme "The Global Mental Health Crisis Among Young People."

Of course, for Harry—a father of two with a history of mental health challenges—this topic wasn't an easy one to address, something which one body language expert says was visible in the prince's demeanor.

"Maybe it is the poignant, close-to-his-heart subject matter of mental health and his mother Diana here, but Harry’s body language state looks a world away from the confident, show-boating, sock and tie-less Prince from the previous gig for Kevin Costner," Judi James observed, speaking to the Mirror.

The expert had previously called Harry's weekend appearance at the One805Live Fall Concert in California "rockstar-like," which she explained stood in contrast to the royal's more somber attitude in NYC.

"Taking his seat on stage here Harry falls into a non-stop welter of what look like anxiety rituals," James remarked of the duke's behavior at the Concordia Summit.

"His expression is unsmiling and his face looks reddened as though by emotion. He sucks his lips in and his eye expression suggests sadness before finally frowning and staring ahead in concentration."

James continued, "His hands rub his knees in a self-comfort ritual and he performs a couple of knee-judders, like a small dance of the feet.

"When he meshes his fingers and cracks his knuckles he almost seems to be wanting to project his inner emotional state. His thumbs rub together, which is another self-comfort ritual, but then he very deliberately rubs both thumbs on his mouth to suggest reflection as well as some nervousness."

On Monday, Harry attended a second event related to his mother's life work: a reception for The HALO Trust, a charity dedicated to clearing landmines which was close to Diana's heart.

While in the City, Harry is also scheduled to participate in events pertaining to African Parks, Travalyst, and the Archewell Foundation.