Prince Harry attended the charity event for Sentebale, an organisation supporting young people in Southern Africa, in honour of his late mother Princess Diana

Prince Harry appeared “emotional” on stage as he talked about his childhood at a charity event, a body language expert has claimed.

The Duke of Sussex surprised royal fans when he made an appearance at the Potential is Waiting event for Sentebale, an organisation supporting young people in Southern Africa, in honour of his late mother Princess Diana.

Details of his attendance were kept under wraps until the following day, as it emerged Harry had spoken at the event in Miami Beach on Thursday night without his wife Meghan Markle. The father-of-two spoke at length about his childhood, and revealed his special connection to Africa was down to his late mother, who died in 1997.

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Harry was ’emotional’ during the chat (
Image:
Getty Images for Sentebale)
Diana was a trailblazer with her support of African charities, and Harry said he was inspired to carry on her legacy and work with Sentebale to help a new generation of young people thrive.

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During his appearance at the charity event, body language expert Judi James told The Mirror the Duke was confident while talking about his charity work, but was visibly emotional as he talked about his mother.

“Harry’s body language here appears to suggest a much more emotionally revealing and sharing mood as he talks on stage while sitting on a stool.

“His knee-splay and his slightly curved pelvis position suggests an undercurrent of inner comfort and confidence but we also have the distant eye-gaze suggesting he is digging deep into his own angst in an act of empathy while he holds his hand into a soft fist with the thumb between the fingers to suggest a desire to get his memories and feelings or his point across,” she explained.

News of Harry’s under-the-radar appearance at the charity event was announced on Friday afternoon, and speaking on the panel, the prince recalled fond memories of his time spent in Africa. “Africa’s in my heart, Africa’s in my soul. I first went there when I was 12… 13 years old, and after so many years I wanted to give back to it because it had given me so much,” he told the attendees.

He spoke about his deep connection to Africa (
Image:
Getty Images)
“The vast open space, the cultures, the communities, the people, the wildlife, just the freedom was a huge piece of why I loved Africa so much,” he continued. Harry, who has been estranged from his family since stepping down from the Royal Family in January 2020, went on to speak about his mother’s charity efforts, adding: “My mother had a strong focus on HIV and AIDS but also of the younger generation because it’s their futures that are being stolen from them.

“And at the heart of Sentebale, what we’ve always believed is that every single young person should have a chance at a better future,” he explained.

Harry has had a busy schedule in recent days, as he also spoke on a panel at the San Francisco-based event BetterUp, and was pictured backstage with comedian and actress Mindy Kaling, who is a close friend of Meghan after she appeared on the Duchess of Sussex’s podcast Archetypes.

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