With the world watching, Prince Harry and Melania Trump had their first meeting in Toronto on Saturday – the first sit-down between a member of the Royal Family and the First Family since the presidential election.
It was predictably frosty and somewhat secretive; their 30 minute chat was kept private.
But a body language expert called in by DailyMail.com has shed light on their face-to-face which, they say, may have been just as uncomfortable as it looked.
Patti Wood, who has studied body language for decades, was able to glean a huge amount from just a brief video clip of the meeting.
Harry, who is usually laid back and welcoming, was subdued and restrained and did not want to appear to be too excited about his sit-down with the First Lady, she explained.
‘He started with his hands clasped and he’s gesturing very low to the body. It felt like he needed to protect himself during the interaction.
Body language expert Patti Wood picked up on Harry’s closed off, clasped hands which showed he was eager to protect something during his meeting with Melania Trump in Toronto on Saturday
‘It’s proper etiquette but it’s interesting because it assumed there’s something to be a little bit concerned about,’ she said.
By keeping his hands low, Harry was displayed a ‘subdued’, low energy, she continued.
‘My guess is the cameras and the fact that he’s talking to her, he’s having to subdue his normal animation. He doesn’t want to seem too excited to be with her,’ she added.
His reluctant smile also revealed his nervousness at being seen to enjoy the meeting, Wood said.
‘He doesn’t smile at her, he just has a smile like ‘I should be smiling but I can’t be smiling,’ she said.
When he did gesture, the prince demonstrated what is known as ‘flinging away’ which shows emotions he is ‘flinging out’, the expert said. He kept his smile tight and did not ever smile directly at the First Lady
Melania showed off a ‘full wattage’ smile at the end of their meeting and appeared to be happier about it but was also nervous, the expert said
By contrast, during meetings with former First Lady Michelle Obama, the young royal was entirely at ease.
In one 2015 get-together at Kensington Palace, he was pictured with his knees spread far apart, looking directly in the then First Lady’s eyes as they ‘shared a moment’.
‘Look at how far apart his legs are. That’s a very manly man, I’m presenting myself as a sexual man and I’m very comfortable.
‘He’s leaning back, he’s comfortable. He’s much more comfortable in this one,’ Wood said.
As for the ladies, Melania’s closed-off posture and tense shoulders revealed she was nervous – a predictable observation for the First Lady’s first solo foreign engagement.
‘There’s a lot of tension. It’s polite but beyond that to a slight fear and tension like “Am I doing the right thing?”‘ she said.
By contrast, Harry was open and masculine in his body language when he met Michelle Obama in 2015 (above). The pair demonstrated intense eye contact and both wore genuine smiles, the expert said
The expert said Harry and Michelle seemed ‘much more comfortable’ in one another’s company. They are seen above in October 2015
Though slightly fearful, Wood said Melania’s ‘full wattage’ smile at the end of her meeting with Harry showed her genuine happiness at having met him.
‘If you look at her smile at the end, there is a million dollar smile. I’m fascinated by that because that is a full wattage smile.
‘It’s really interesting that we’re seeing that sitting with him, it’s something we see rarely with her husband.’
Mrs Obama was just as comfortable as the prince when they sat down in 2015, she said.
‘If you look at them, Look at the eye contact see how they’re having a moment with each other.
‘They’re connected, isolating everyone else out but that didn’t happen this time with Melania,’ she said.
After his meeting with Melania on Saturday, Harry went on to play with a group of schoolchildren at a Land Rover event.
There, he seemed much more at ease as they whizzed around a race track in toy cars and posed for photographs.
After his meeting with Melania, Harry went on to mingle with some children at a Land Rover event where he was much more animated
The Royal appeared to be much more at ease int he children’s company