Prince Harry was “in his element” at a charity event, shining in the spotlight despite Meghan Markle’s absence due to illness, an expert has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex confidently stepped out alone at Santa Barbara One805Live!, an occasion helmed by Hollywood’s Kevin Costner to honour first responders. In a standout moment, Harry presented an award to a fellow aviator and mingled with the glitterati in attendance.
Though the couple graced last year’s affair together, expectations for Meghan’s presence alongside her husband at this edition were dashed when she reportedly fell sick and couldn’t make it.
But Harry showed no signs of discomfort going solo, as body language guru Judi James observed while speaking to the Mirror: “Harry’s body language here suggests that he is totally in his element and delighted to be soaking up or even surfing the on-stage adulation from the A-list audience like a star of the show.
“His open jacket; his gleefully beaming smile at the audience, and that cheeky, knowing, thumbs-up gesture all suggest he is in full show-boating mode here, like some of his ‘rock star’ style appearances on stage when he first arrived in the US.
“While the two award recipients stand together looking tentative, Harry is in full splay mode, stretching an arm out to grab one man on the shoulder in a very informal display of recognition. His hand mic, that signal of who is in charge, is held high to his face, which is turned upward and away, with his head tilted and his chest puffed to suggest a moment of complete confidence during this solo outing.
“In 2023, Harry and Meghan were seen at this event in a series of awkward-looking poses from Harry and a tricky microphone moment from Meghan, but this year his status and level of involvement looks clearer and his mic management far more adept.”
Just hours before jetting off to New York, Prince Harry made an appearance at the awards. Last night, he had a royal encounter in the Big Apple – but Meghan was noticeably absent once again.
Harry has embarked on a solo trip to New York, where he is scheduled to speak at several high-profile events coinciding with the United Nations General Assembly. Upon arriving in the city, he attended a dinner hosted by the World Health Organisation last night.
At the event, Harry was spotted mingling with Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Hollywood actor Forest Whitaker, honouring survivors of childhood violence.
Prince Harry has a busy schedule in New York this week, with several key appearances lined up. He’s due to speak at a Concordia summit today about the Diana Award, in tribute to his mother, Princess Diana, recognising young leaders.
Tomorrow, he’ll be present at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting for 2024. The event, initiated by former President Bill Clinton alongside Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, will focus on effective examples of global leadership under the banner “What’s Working”.
At the Clinton gathering, the Duke of Sussex is set to talk about the launch of The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Network, which aims to support parents dealing with children affected by online harm. Moreover, he intends to discuss his charity’s partnership with the World Health Organization among others, to combat violence against kids; an advocacy he and Meghan emphasised during their recent visit to Colombia.
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