It’s safe to assume that Prince Harry has met many celebrities throughout his life. Technically, yes, he is one himself, but as a working member of the Royal Family, he “stood above” all but a very select few of high-profile individuals n the world, with celebrities traditionally having to address Harry as “Your Royal Highness.” Of course, things have changed now that the Duke is no longer a working royal.
Harry has played a role in many different projects that have led him to meet many famous people. A few years ago, he even met a First Lady, encountering Melania Trump at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017.
The two spent a brief 30 minutes together, and of course, a picture was taken. That might have been the end of that, but some people were later left shocked when they apparently noticed a specific detail relating to Harry’s hands. Some were convinced he made the sign of the devil, but body language experts have had other ideas.
So, what was really going on?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s life in the US differs greatly from the one they left behind in the UK. Without any royal duties, the Sussexes are free to embark on any and all adventures they fancy. Following their royal exit, the couple wasn’t no time in securing several multi-million dollar deals with both Netflix and Spotify. Harry also released his tell-all memoir, Spare.
But while their life in the US has created many new opportunities, there’s one particularly individual who’s publicly declared that he doesn’t want Harry to stay: Donald Trump. The former president has even threatened to deport the prince from the US if he wins the election. As per reports, the start of their history can be traced back to several years ago.
Prince Harry’s tense history with Donald Trump
Back in 2019, Donald Trump visited the UK, and as part of the trip, he met with the various senior members of the British Royal Family, including then-Prince Charles – the two apparently spoke on climate change – and, of course, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
At the time, there were certain tensions before the UK visit, and they had to do with Meghan Markle.
In 2016, during the presidential campaign in which Trump was running for office, Meghan appeared on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and discussed the former The Apprentice star, accusing him of being “misogynistic” and “divisive.” She also pledged to vote for his rival, Hillary Clinton.
Fast forward to Donald’s UK visit, and Meghan had just given birth to Archie. As she was on maternity leave, she didn’t make an appearance during the state visit. Other reports suggested that she and Trump were purposely kept apart to avoid an embarrassing clash, not least because of what the then-president said before arriving in the UK.
Speaking with The Sun at the Oval Office, Trump said he had never heard Meghan’s words about him.
“I didn’t know that. What can I say? I didn’t know that she was nasty,” he told The Sun.
“He will lay on his very best charm”
The fact that Donald called Meghan nasty affected not only the Duchess but also her husband, Prince Harry. The Duke was actually scheduled to attend a lunch at which Trump was also supposed to be present.
One can only think that Harry wasn’t happy about what the former real estate tycoon had said about his wife, but according to royal expert Victoria Arbiter, the Prince was expected to “toe the line” around the US President, as he was always supposed to remain politically neutral.
“The Royal Family will be professional and duty-bound. But Prince Harry will be going to a private lunch with the Queen on Monday with Donald Trump and the First Lady, how incredibly awkward this is going to be for Prince Harry. He will lay on his very best charm because that is what he has been raised to do; that is what he is required to do,” Arbiter told the Express at the time.
She added: “So I think yes [the royal family] are all sort of aware of Donald Trump and how he has put his foot in it on numerous occasions. But Harry is there to support his grandmother, he will also be there to say thank you to Melania Trump because she did lead the US team to Toronto in 2017 for the Invictus Games.”
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As stated, Harry met with Melania Trump in 2017. While the purpose of the meeting itself didn’t get a deal of media coverage, a particular detail in a photo of the pair of them did.
We’ll get to said photo shortly, but first, let’s fast-forward a few years and focus on Prince Harry and Donald Trump’s relationship. It can be assumed that the Duke was miffed with what Donald had said about his wife, and it’s been made clear since that the former president isn’t a big fan of Harry either.
Donald Trump threatened Harry with deportation from the US
Last year, the American conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation, sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for access to Harry’s immigration records. When applying for certain American visas, one must disclose whether they ever have taken drugs, which could result in their application being denied.
Harry revealed in his memoir, Spare, that he had previously used various drugs and psychedelics, including cocaine, marijuana, and magic mushrooms. However, it’s unclear whether he declared this on his visa application – and Donald Trump stated in March that Harry could be deported from the US if he lied about past drug use on his visa application.
“We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they’ll have to take appropriate action,” Trump told GB News in March.
Just a month earlier, Trump clarified that he “wouldn’t protect” Prince Harry if he wins the 2024 presidential election in November.
“I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me,” Trump told the Express, adding that he believes the Royal Family was “too gracious” to Harry after “what he has done.”
“He would be on his own if it was down to me,” the former president added.
At present, Harry is not a US citizen, though he has considered becoming one. Speaking with ABC News, he said it had crossed his mind to apply for citizenship, but that it’s “certainly not” a high priority.
Harry ‘signaled devil horns’ during Melania Trump meeting, conspiracy theories claimed
Now let’s head back to Harry’s first time meeting Melania, which by all accounts went well. In 2017, before attending the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Toronto, Harry, then a working royal, met Melania, becoming the first member of the Royal Family to meet a Trump since the 2016 Presidential Election in the process.
Melania and Harry spent about 30 minutes together in a room at the Sheraton Hotel before the Duke had to leave to attend another engagement. Besides having a brief conversation, pictures of the two were taken.
And, inevitably, there was one detail in the photo that left some royal fans shocked. Did Harry flash the sign of the devil?
In the picture of Melania and Harry, the Duke held his hand half-tucked into his jacket. The pinky and index fingers were sticking out, and online, theories were abound concerning Harry making ‘devil horns’. The symbol can reportedly be traced back to the Middle Ages to ward off evil spirits.
Conspiracy theorists on what was then Twitter exploded, convinced that Harry was flashing the sign of the devil were standing beside Melania. Several body language experts, meanwhile, say otherwise.
For example, body language Patti Wood spoke to the Huffington Post, saying that people were misunderstanding Harry’s gesture.
Body language experts reveal Harry’s ‘secret signal’ in Melania Trump photo
While she argued it wasn’t the devil horns, the gesture could have other meanings.
“This is called the horn or the devil’s horn, and what people are saying in the media about it is not correct,” Patti Wood said. “It is not a sign that he’s the devil, but rather a warning off of evil spirits. It’s a protective gesture against evil or darkness and illness.”
The body language expert explained that putting one hand on the stomach could be seen as an act of self-comfort. Wood went on to explain that several world leaders have used the same gesture when pictured alongside Donald Trump.
“I’ve seen world leaders in photo shoots with Trump and I see a lot of what are called self-comfort cues. This would be considered one of those. It looks like the devil’s horn but it is also hand to belly,” Wood concluded.
“At the very least it would be a comfort cue, and show a lot of tension and a need to protect his central core.”
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Another body language expert, Joe Navarro, explained that Harry’s somewhat odd hand placement could mean any number of things. However, none of them have anything to do with the devil.
“Had the photographers loitered too long? Is there something else going on?” Navarro said.
“I have to wonder, was he going to unbutton his jacket and then changed his mind? Was he in prep for sitting and then they asked him to stand again to do more photos? To me, you can’t draw too many inferences from the photo. I wouldn’t personally read too much into that.”
“A self-soothing behavior”
The body language expert added: “There was some psychological discomfort. The look of his face, the look of his hand is very unusual, except for the fact that he and his brother have a tendency to cover their belly which is a self-soothing behavior to deal with a bit of tension.”
Another body language expert, Tonya Reiman, spoke to Inside Edition about Harry’s gesture. She claimed he was simply getting comfortable.
“For me, this was more of a comfort gesture,” she said. “Covering your stomach makes you feel more relaxed, more comfortable. When he heard the cameras going off, he was just getting comfortable.”
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