Prince Harry hosts the Travelyst Executive Summit in China; (Inset) Princess Diana attends a banquet in Munich during her official tour of Germany.
June 4 2025, Published 11:15 a.m. ET
Prince Harry made his first visit to China on May 26 to host the Travelyst Executive Summit. As co-founder of Travelyst, the Duke of Sussex made a powerful speech, urging the travel industry to meet its climate goals by 2030. Analyzing footage from the event, body language expert Darren Stanton pointed out a hidden gesture that showed Harry unconsciously mirroring his late mother, Princess Diana.
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Stanton told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “He came across amazingly well, very reminiscent of his mother. His voice was strong, clear, and smooth, his posture was upright and open.” The late Diana was also known to maintain an upright posture in interviews, having hired a voice coach to help her with her confidence. The expert added, “Non-verbally, he wasn’t static; this is important when speaking to big crowds as it gives each part of the crowd a chance to get a better look at you and feel more involved.” The Duke of Sussex gave his address on the same day King Charles was in Canada for his throne speech.
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The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, was in Shanghai today to kick off the Envision 2025 conference, hosted by the https://t.co/WF464dF0Zl Group alongside Travalyst partners.
In his opening speech, he emphasized the importance of the travel industry playing a positive role:
🗣️ “Now… pic.twitter.com/KNCZvHsmjK
— N👑🍉🇵🇸❤️ (@royal47905) May 26, 2025
The body language expert also pointed out another detail in Harry’s speech that made the audience ‘feel at ease.’ He said, “He also was performing regular open palm gestures with the hand that wasn’t holding the microphone. This was a medieval military gesture…and has now found its way into modern conversation as a way of making people subconsciously feel more at ease and show that you have nothing to hide.” Staton explained that when people’s hands are “clenched or in their pockets,” it normally suggests that they are ‘concealing something.’
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Prince Harry is in Shanghai doing a speaking gig at a travel convention. Guess the book royalties are starting to run out pic.twitter.com/9BRX1YDaM5
— Douglas Rooney 🇨🇳 🏴 (@Doug_rooney) May 26, 2025
Diana was known for her signature chin tuck, soft voice, and flirtatious glances at the camera while addressing crowds. Body language Judi James once decoded Diana’s body language. She told the Daily Express, “She would perform an eyebrow flash, raising and dropping her brows quickly in an announcement gesture to let everyone know what she was thinking.” James believed Diana loved to use the cameras as a ‘connector’ to the people, treating the public as her ‘friends’, much like Harry.
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Coming back to Harry’s China trip, the Duke attended a two-day conference with industry leaders and policymakers, which is the first in a series of global initiatives to drive action in the travel sector. As reported by the Scottish Daily Express, he said in his speech, “Climate change isn’t just an environmental challenge – it’s a critical business emergency, costing the global economy $143 billion annually…Now is the moment for the industry to reaffirm its commitment to being a force for good.” However, critics pointed out the ‘hypocrisy’ in his speech as Harry allegedly had taken a private jet to China to promote eco-friendly travel.