Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released their highly anticipated documentary on Netflix on December 8, with the second volume of episodes dropping on December 15. In one episode, the Duke of Sussex spoke about a sad moment in his childhood when he was made to perform a photocall on his family holiday when he didn’t want to.
Harry said: “Paparazzi used to harass us to the point of where we had to be forced into smiling and answering questions to the travelling press pack.”
Prince William, Prince Harry and their cousins, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice performed the photocall outside the hotel where they were staying in the Swiss resort of Klosters.
The first episode of the Netflix documentary “Harry and Meghan” included footage of the arranged photocall on a skiing holiday in Switzerland in 1995.
Judi James, a professional body language expert, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk to analyse the photos that were produced as a result of this photocall, and how each royal child handled the slightly awkward moment.
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She said: “One of the saddest scenes in the Netflix documentary showed a young Harry and William and an even younger Beatrice and Eugenie posing for a group of photographers during their skiing holiday.
“It’s no surprise that the royals see these trade-off poses, where they allegedly get left in peace for the remainder of their holidays after performing one set pose, as an ordeal.
“Charles’s notorious on-mic mutterings and complaints during one of his skiing poses with his two sons did give a glimpse into the frustration and angst behind the smiles, even for the adults.”
According to the expert, the photographs of the royal children from 1995 showed that it was the Prince of Wales who displayed “brave” body language, who would have been 12 years old at the time.
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Judi added: “It was William egging his dad on to perform then and in this pose, it looks like William taking the bravest stab at supplying something jolly-looking for the camera.
“But the unease of the two small girls was obvious in the video clip shown in Harry and Meghan’s documentary, with the younger Eugenie appearing to struggle the most with all the shouting and demands for smiles.
“Harry looked so close to his small cousin back then and it is a friendship that endures today. He sounded protective of Eugenie then, who stood in front of him.”
The Duke of Sussex remains a close friendship with Eugenie. The Princess travelled to the USA in February earlier this year where the duo attended the Super Bowl together.
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Judi continued: “Meanwhile, William seemed to be keeping an eye on Beatrice, whose frown made her look equally overwhelmed.”
The four royal children did look slightly overwhelmed during the photocall, and Judi argues that the late Princess Diana had the right idea about how to make it a more enjoyable experience for them.
She suggested: “Small children normally need gentle, playful coaxing in a safe environment to smile happily for a photo shoot.
“We saw how it could be done in some earlier footage where Diana sat alongside her boys at home to create feelings of safety and comfort, while Charles stood off-camera, beaming and smiling and placing a hankie on his head to encourage William and Harry to have fun and laugh.
“Standing alone in the snow, having a bank of strange photographers yelling at you endlessly and not particularly kindly would be an ordeal for any child, even a royal one.
“It was another reminder of how smart Kate has been in taking most of her own children’s photographs herself.”
Kate Middleton is a keen amateur photographer and enjoys taking pictures of her three children, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four.
Each year on the children’s birthdays, royal fans can expect a new photograph of the young royals, taken exclusively by the Princess of Wales on her camera.
