Words are only half the story. Prince Harry may have delivered a polished tribute to sport at one of New York's biggest nights of the year, but according to one body language expert, his posture told a very different tale.

The Duke of Sussex took to the stage at the inaugural TIME100 Sports Gala to champion the Invictus Games. Offstage, however, his shifting stance and clenched lips reportedly betrayed something else entirely.

According to body language expert Scott Rouse, Prince Harry displayed several non-verbal cues that he interpreted as signs of discomfort, saying the Duke of Sussex appeared to show a 'lack of confidence' during what he described as an 'uncomfortable' speech. According to his professional biography, Rouse has worked alongside the FBI, the US Secret Service and US Military Intelligence.

Rouse said the Duke of Sussex displayed several body-language cues that he interpreted as signs of unease, most notably his 'lip compression'. 'We see lip compression, this happens almost every time he finishes one of his points,' he explained on his YouTube channel.

The expert also noted that Harry repeatedly stepped forward to emphasise a point before taking a pronounced step backwards, a pattern Rouse interpreted as a sign of uncertainty. Rouse described it as a familiar habit for the royal prince.

He suggested Prince Harry was trying to land a profound statement about how the British Army shaped him, but that the repeated backward step undercut it. Rouse also pointed to Harry placing his hand in his pocket while discussing his military service, noting that concealing the hands or thumbs is another classic signal of low confidence, one that recurred alongside the lip compression throughout the speech.

Despite the body language critique, Prince Harry's message focused on the transformative power of sport for wounded veterans. 'In the arena, sport wasn't simply rebuilding strength, it was restoring confidence, purpose, identity, and connection,' he said. 'Sport isn't just entertainment and competition, sport is medicine. It reaches places that surgery cannot, therapies sometimes struggle to, and words often never will.'

The royal described sport as something that 'challenges the body, focuses the mind, and gives people permission to believe that what once seemed impossible may seem to still be within reach', adding that it helps whole families heal too.

Prince Harry also reflected on the growth of the Invictus Games, which he founded in 2014 and now brings together hundreds of competitors from 26 nations. 'Every one of us in this room knows that sport can produce champions. But perhaps that's not the greatest achievement at all—it's helping people believe they still have a future,' he said.

'The Invictus Movement is a reminder that sport has the power to rebuild, to reconnect, and to redefine what is possible because sport restores the human spirit.'

Prince Harry concluded his remarks by honouring two Invictus competitors in the room, describing them and their fellow participants as embodying 'resilience, leadership, and an enduring commitment to their communities and to their country'.

The inaugural TIME100 Sports Gala, held at a private venue in Manhattan, celebrated the magazine's first-ever list of the 100 Most Influential People in Sports. The guest list reflected that ambition: basketball icon LeBron James, champion skier Lindsey Vonn, New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson, and tennis great Serena Williams were all in attendance, alongside executives, agents and other sports world figures who filled the room.

Prince Harry attended the gala without his wife, Meghan Markle. She remained in California with the couple's children.