Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie appeared “hesitant” in helping their “awkward” cousin Prince Harry over concerns about royal protocol, a body language expert has claimed.
Prince Andrew’s two daughters greeted the Duke of Sussex outside Westminster Abbey ahead of King Charles’s Coronation.
But Prince Harry appeared somewhat awkward as he walked alone behind other fringe members of the Royal Family.
Body language expert Darren Stanton suggested the moment showed the Yorks’ daughters being unsure about how to reassure the father-of-two ahead of the biggest royal event in a generation.
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, the Duke of Sussex, Jack Brooksbank and Princess Beatrice depart Westminster Abbey
PA
Stanton told GB News: “They were trying to include him but there was a bit of an awkwardness in terms of them thinking is that or is that not within protocol.
“It shows that they were trying to include him and make him not feel awkward because he did look awkward walking in without Meghan.
“However, I think generally he is more confident without her.”
He continued: “I think there was a little bit of hesitancy, as if they didn’t know what to do really.”
The Duke of Sussex returned to the UK for King Charles' Coronation
PA
Stanton added: “They [Beatrice and Eugenie] are a lot more forgiving and less inclined to follow the protocols and things because they grew up with him.”
However, Prince Harry was seen chatting to both his cousins’ husbands Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.
When asked about the Duke’s conversation with the pair, Stanton also said: “It’s almost like going to a wedding and not knowing anyone but you see someone you may know a little bit and you talk to them so you don’t feel as awkward.”
But Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are particularly close with both Eugenie and Jack.
Meghan Markle did not join her husband at the Coronation
PAThe quartet took secret snaps when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were dating ahead of a Halloween party in 2016.
There has long been speculation about whether Prince Harry would return to the United Kingdom for his father’s Coronation.
Buckingham Palace announced Prince Harry's attendance at the Coronation in a statement last month.
The statement said: "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Buckingham Palace announced Prince Harry's attendance at the Coronation in a statement last month
PA"The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."
A near identical statement was issued by the Sussexes’ charitable foundation Archewell.
It said: "The Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th.
"The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."
