Prince Harry, 36, paid tribute to his British roots on Sunday by meeting a small group of LA runners taking part in this year’s virtual Virgin Money London Marathon. Harry was due to return to Britain for the event last April before it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While Harry has been based in California since March he is still patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust and honoured this connection with the special meeting.
Part of the encounter was captured on video and showed Harry chatting to husband and wife charity runners Mark and Chudney Espiritu and six-time marathon runner Eric Schneider.
In the clip, Harry is captured sitting on the floor beside the runners as he quizzes them about what they have done to prepare for the challenge ahead.
As the pandemic meant the event could not go ahead in its usual format, runners across the world were encouraged to complete a 26.2-mile route of their choice over 24 hours on Sunday.
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“What an experience this was. I never imagined myself chatting with Prince Harry. This is one for the books. I will never forget this day.”
Following the sweet clip of the candid conversation, body language analyst and author Judi James analysed the clip for Express.couk and shared her findings.
The expert claimed Harry employed “guru-style” body language and “waggled his hands”.
Judi said: “It was a great cause to support, but the arrangement of this floor-seating meeting with some inspirational marathon runners in LA has been positioned in a way that makes it look rather as though our ex-pat prince with his waggling hands, pointing and his floor chops, is giving a guru-style teaching session to a small group of followers.”
According to the expert, Harry seemed to channel some of his mother Princess Diana’s charm but seemed “awkward” with the cameras present.
Judi added: “The floor chat might have been a gesture to look friendly and chatty as Harry’s normal style is always empathetic, fun and self-effacing and one of his biggest body language skills was always to mirror the energy and pace of any group he was mixing with to create the same sense of evenness as his mother Diana used to achieve.
“But with the cameras were circling here the awkward pose makes him look several steps outside his comfort zone.”
According to Judi, the cameras may have made Harry feel “under pressure.”
She added: “He was possibly feeling under pressure to perform for the camera rather than just immerse himself in the meeting.”