Princess Anne ‘admires Prince Harry’s primary goals’ but not his ‘tactics’, expert claims

Princess Anne, who celebrated her 73rd birthday today, is a beloved member of the Royal Family, renowned for her stoic nature and hard work ethic.

Her nephew Prince Harry, 38, stepped back as a working royal in January 2020, but was often photographed with the Princess Royal smiling and laughing.

Judi James, a body language expert spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk to analyse the relationship between Anne and Harry.

She claimed: “As an industrial-strength loyalist whose devotion to her mother and all she stood for are legendary, we can only imagine Anne’s behind-the-scenes dismay and possible disgust at her nephew’s recent behaviours towards the UK monarchy.

“Anne has dedicated her life to upholding the values and the dutiful style of monarchy her parents inherited, which is all about stoicism and hard work.

“But there might have been something of an empathetic response from her, too. Like Harry, Anne was the second child, although being a woman meant she was never a ‘Spare’. She did grow up as something of a royal rebel, though, with a hearty disrespect for press attention.

“An intriguing insight into her real feelings about royal life might have been revealed in the way she gifted freedom to her beloved daughter Zara by turning down a royal title for her and encouraging her to lead a life and a marriage that were very much her own choice.

“What she willingly gave to her own children seems to have been something that was wrested away from his own father many years later by Harry.

“Their body language together, then, has always shown signals of a rather fond and even indulgent aunt with her nephew. Anne might not approve of his tactics but she might just have admired and understood some of Harry’s overall primary goals in heading for the exit.

“Anne’s behaviour with son-in-law Mike suggests she enjoys the company of guys who are a little irreverent, fearless and fun and Harry would have fitted that bill perfectly.”

At the 10-year anniversary service for the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Princess Anne and Harry were photographed together smiling.

Judi opined: “Anne has always looked comfortable stepping into auntie mode with Harry, despite the chorus of body language disapproval from most of the other royals after his marriage. She inspected his mood closely on Diana’s memorial day while Harry adopted a more compliant, fig-leaf pose.

“It’s always been possible to see hints of the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the Firm from their natural positioning during balcony appearances. Harry would often gravitate towards his grandfather Philip and be seen sharing a joke or two and Anne, who inherited so many of her father’s personality traits, often seemed to be drawn in the same direction.

“Pinning a medal on her nephew, we can also see a similar body language dynamic as the one that occurred when the late Queen was inspecting the troops when her grandson was lined up in front of her.

“Anne, like her mother, seems to have been very fond of making Harry laugh when he was standing to attention.

“Even during some of Harry’s most recent visits to the UK, when he was apparently seen in full ‘villain’ mode by the majority of the Firm, he could be seen communicating with his aunt while being ‘cut’ by most of the other top tier royals.

“His body language here looks awkward and tentative as though he might have been expecting similar treatment from Anne, but her view here appears to be what we are seeing and Harry does look like a rather anxious and distraught man, no matter how much he tried to display bravado.”