Prince Harry's body language 'gives away true feelings' ahead of King Charles meet

Prince Harry was feeling "optimistic and upbeat" and wore an "impish-looking smile" ahead of the meeting with his father King Charles, a body language expert has said.

Body language expert Judi James said that Harry seemed optimistic about seeing his father again as he was spotted out and about earlier in the day.

“Harry's rather impish-looking smile today had echoes of his famous grins as a child, which in turn gave the smallest possible clue that he was going back into his role as a son again with this meeting with Charles on the cards,” she said.

“His smile looked optimistic and upbeat as Harry was clearly in a world he knows best here, meeting and hugging a paralympic pal as he joins up for a visit.There was still one non-verbal signal of anxiety though with the way his fingers were tucked into his shirt and his belt in the kind of stomach or waistband touch he often does when he's feeling vulnerable.”

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She said that the Duke of Sussex may have been having mixed feelings ahead of his much speculated-upon reunion with his father the King. “With the meeting with his father booked then he could be going into it with pleasure tinged with some sense of apprehension,” she said.

Meanwhile images of Harry in the car on his way to the reunion showed he was “calm” and “reflective,” she said.

“Harry's expression looks reflective and rather calm here, with his raised hand clasp looking like an echo of some of the older Windsor men like his father and grandfather. Hopefully that suggests a wiser approach to the meeting rather than any form of confrontation”

King Charles and his son the Duke of Sussex are understood to have shared an afternoon tea together during their meeting today at Clarence house. The King reportedly had a private tea with his son during a 55-minute meeting this afternoon.

This is the first time the pair have met in person since February 2024, days after the King announced that he was undergoing treatment for cancer.

Rumours of a possible reunion have swirled after Prince Harry returned to the UK on September 8 to visit some of the charities and causes which he supports.

Harry arrived in London on Monday for the annual WellChild Awards, before heading to Nottingham on Tuesday for an engagement followed by a trip to Imperial College London today.

Charles arrived at the royal residence at 3:45pm after flying from Balmoral earlier this afternoon, while Harry arrived more than an hour after his father, pulling up at 5:25pm.

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