Body language expert Judi James has analyzed archive footage from 2003, suggesting that King Charles displayed a "powerful fondness" for his younger son, Prince Harry, which contrasts with the Duke of Sussex's public descriptions of a strained relationship.
Footage from June 2003, filmed in Anglesey, north Wales, shows an 18-year-old Prince Harry, then 17, Prince William, then 20, and King Charles reflecting after a polo match. In the clips, Charles praises Harry's performance, stating, "You scored two goals didn't you?" to which Harry corrects him, "Three." Charles responds, "Well done, brilliant."
James noted that Charles's attention during the conversation was particularly focused on Harry. "Charles’s physical awkwardness might be legendary but in clips like this one he appears to be giving Harry a unique form of watchful attention that is littered with subtle but powerful displays of fondness," James told the Daily Mail.
She observed that Charles created a preferential proximity with Harry, even sitting next to him and mirroring his actions when another player joined the group. "It is clearly Harry who gets Charles’s prime and then exclusive attention in this video while William appears to have to work to dominate the spotlight or break into and take over the conversation," James said. She added that Charles offered different forms of attention to his sons, appearing "gentle, caring and watchful" with Harry, while treating William "more like a fellow adult and equal."
James suggested that Harry's body language, which she described as "red-cheeked and bashful-looking," sitting "hunched and glowering slightly, hiding his face behind his hand and a glass in a gesture of shyness," might have promoted empathy in his father. She contrasted this with William, who appeared "confident and socially at ease."
Prince Harry has publicly discussed experiencing "generational trauma" and described himself in his 2023 memoir as the "shadow" and "Plan B" in his family. However, James stated that the "strained and complex" father-son relationship Harry often cites "doesn't appear to be visually endorsed by footage of the pair at the time."
James noted that while Charles is not known for being outwardly tactile, his affection for Harry was conveyed subtly. "He pays his son individual and full eye-attention and his vocal tone softens and drops to signal affection as he tries to draw him into the conversation," she explained. She also pointed to Charles's body position, with his hand close to Harry and his leg splayed near his younger son, as further indicators of closeness.
Despite the outward displays of affection in the footage, Harry's memoir, Spare, describes a more distant interaction when Charles informed him of his mother Princess Diana's death. Harry recalled that his father placed a hand on his knee and said everything would be okay, but noted, "My father did not hug me."
In a 2017 interview, Harry referred to his father as "Pa" and stated they would "talk for hours and hours" about Charles's environmental passions. He also shared how his father had been "there for us" after Diana's death.
More recently, in a 2021 interview on the Armchair Expert podcast, Harry spoke about his father having treated him "the way he was treated," suggesting a cycle of "genetic pain" that he and Meghan aimed to break by moving to the US.
James concluded that while William inherited Princess Diana's public ease, "Harry and Charles seem twinned in their inner awkwardness and signals of diffidence," finding more comfort in "a much more intimate and personal form of verbal dialogue."
The analysis comes as Prince Harry prepares to celebrate his 42nd birthday on September 15. He and Meghan Markle recently relocated to the UK with their children, Archie and Lilibet, who are set to start school. Sources close to Harry have indicated a desire for more frequent visits to Britain. Following a recent visit and reunion with King Charles, Harry reportedly felt "buoyed," "very happy," and "really energised."