Prince Harry 'cries for attention' with one gesture he does 17 times

Prince Harry made "at least 17 gestures" with his hands in just 22 seconds during a new interview on his UK return, according to body language expert Judi James.

The Duke of Sussex was interviewed from a party hosted by the Scotty's Little Soldiers, a charity that supports bereaved children of military personnel, on Thursday.

James unpacked the short BBC interview, suggesting his gestures "might be a cry for attention in a more competitive market".

She told Daily Express US: "Harry manages to perform at least 17 gestures here in the space of 22 seconds and most of them are very expansive, emphatic and exaggerated to the point where he seems to be providing a running body language commentary alongside his words.

"Most are congruent with his verbal message and only a couple seem to be non-verbal ‘leakage’. But why the need to keep up this level of overkill gesticulation as he speaks?"

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Harry was in the UK earlier this week for the Invictus Games 10-Year Anniversary and the BBC spoke to him at his final engagement of the trip.

The presenter asked Harry about the visit, saying, “How is it being here?” The Duke responded: “It’s great.”

James considers his hand gesticulations might be the result of living in the US where they help him to be understood in conversation.

She added: "This use of hand gestures is a trait that Harry has used for several years although it has increased enormously since his move to the US.

"This could suggest he seems to see it as an aid to understanding as though concerned people in the US might struggle with his accent and need some form of visual translation as he speaks.

"This would link in with the fact that most of these gestures are illustrative or mime gestures, acting out his words in mid-air, like his initial ‘perfect’ gesture as he says the word and joins his index finger and thumb in the shape of an ‘O’ in the air, or the lifting of three fingers to show how many sweets he ate.

"Or it might also be a display of desired status. As a Prince in the UK he would have been used to everyone stopping to listen when he spoke but that might not be a given in a country where he is meeting powerful or celebrity names. His gestures might be a cry for attention in a more competitive market. They can also be used to imply that his words are exceptionally important and even deep."

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This week, Meghan Markle briefly set foot on UK soil to reunite with Prince Harry.

The Duchess of Sussex landed at Heathrow Airport to meet the Duke of their three-day trip to Nigeria.