Prince Harry claims Charles was cold to him growing up but viral video suggests otherwise

In a newly surfaced clip, an adolescent Prince Harry, 10, is seen playing soccer, and takes a spill, scuffing his face. It’s his father, Prince Charles, who tends to him. Charles takes him to the side, sits with him, examines his face, and playfully taps his nose, which can be seen as the universal sign for, “You’re okay. Shake if off.” 

Harry, now grown, 39, has spoken about how Charles was cold to him growing up, unable to show affection, but the video shows something different. It’s just one moment in time, and the cameras were on, so it's not to say it was always like this. That's why Express US reached out to body language expert Judi James to ask her about what she's seeing in the clip and Charles’ history with being able to show affection. 

James has been analyzing both Charles and Harry for thirty-some years and was able to provide insight. 

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James started off by providing some background on Harry's upbringing, saying: “Charles has never been a spontaneously tactile man in public and there have been numerous stories about his own ‘cold’ upbringing, so when Harry aimed the same claims at his father in his book Spare they sounded sadly credible and barely worth doubting. While there are endless photos of (Princess) Diana hugging, carrying and openly adoring her younger son there seems to have been less evidence of Charles paying Harry the kind of loving attention he says he craved.”

And then moved up to now, providing her feedback on the clip: “However this small video might seem to suggest the contrary. Harry is knocked over playing football and it’s Charles sitting beside him tending to him in a tender but also practical-looking way, touching his face and prodding his nose gently, presumably to check there is no damage done. Their body language together here looks natural, suggesting the gentle care is not an unusual event. Harry sits trustingly as his dad looks up his nose and there is no sign of awkwardness to hint the father and son were anything other than close.”

She also points out, sometimes it was Harry who would reach out to his father first: “Several years later in 2008. An older but still rather shy-looking Harry sat on one side of his dad while William sat on the other as they were interviewed for the Princes Trust by Ant and Dec. Harry gets banter from William but fond looks from his father and it looks telling that the one affectionate touch ritual during the whole interview comes when Harry places his hand on his father’s leg. The gesture looks natural and spontaneous, implying the pair share a normal, tactile, fond relationship.”

James provides examples of touching moments between father and son, to show Charles’ kindness does go beyond this one moment: “Over the years there have been several photographic examples of Charles showing open affection to Harry, bending to put an arm round him and kiss him on the head at polo and holding his hand as they walk along; holding his hand as Harry toddles round the estate at Sandringham, and picking him up to touch his face tenderly on holiday in Spain.”

And, the list keeps going, with James explaining what she's seeing in their body language: “The very small Harry’s reciprocal body language seems to imply he does turn to and receives loving hugs from his dad. In one photo he puts his head on Charles’s shoulder while Charles appears to respond with a kiss and in another Harry leans his head in on Charles’s torso as the pair stand together with Charles’s arm round his young son’s shoulders.”

Even so, she's not contesting Harry’s claims of lack of affection, quoting the late Queen Elizabeth II: “Of course Harry might feel he didn’t get the hugs he needed from his father and it’s difficult to argue with perceptions but as the late Queen was quoted as saying: ‘Recollections may vary’.”