The word “spare” has been thrown around so much by fans and royal watchers after Prince Harry used it as the title of his memoir in which he revealed to the world how he felt throughout his life as Prince William‘s “spare.”
The Duke of Sussex couldn’t control his place in the hierarchy of Britain’s famous family. But according to an expert, after he and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals in a move Harry described as “freedom,” he became a “spare” once again. Only this time instead of his brother, the prince became his wife‘s “spare.”
Here’s more on that and the photo a body language expert says clearly shows Harry posing as Meghan’s “spare.”
Body language expert pinpoints the moment Prince Harry became his wife’s ‘spare’
Judi James is a body language and behavioral expert who has authored more than two dozen books on the subject including The You Code: What Your Habits Say About You and The Body Language Bible: The Hidden Meaning Behind People’s Gestures and Expressions. She shared the moment it first became clear that Harry was Meghan’s “spare” claiming it was evident in the couple’s Time cover photo in 2021.
Speaking to Fabulous, James said: “Their cover of Time Magazine seems to provide a perfect illustration of their status fluctuations and a powerhouse moment when Harry was quite openly (and presumably compliantly) posing as Meghan’s ‘spare.’ The power signals on this Time Magazine cover shot are only marginally less surprising than Harry’s apparently relaxed and agreeable approach to being posed looking like a ‘plus one.’ It’s been described as a pose that is reminiscent of a hairdresser showing off his handiwork to the camera, with the celebrity client being the star.”
The expert also noted that Meghan’s white outfit stands out while Harry’s dark-colored clothing nearly blends him in with the background.
James went on to explain how the duchess dominates nearly two-thirds of the cover photo pointing out that “Meghan’s legs are splayed in a power pose while Harry seems to have one leg gone AWOL [absence without leave]. Meghan’s hair is also fanned out, with ‘big hair’ being associated with power and strength, and the upturned V gap under her armpits signals confidence. Harry’s pose looks capricious as he part hides behind his wife, leaning into the shot with an awkwardly-placed hand on her shoulder.”
James added: “What we’ve seen as a result of this nature v nurture status imbalance is that while Meghan acts as host and sometime leader now, continuing her own solid career trajectory as a powerhouse campaigner, Harry has needed to melt into a plus one or ‘spare’ role at times.”
Harry’s move to the U.S. was supposed to mean he didn’t have to ‘play second fiddle’ anymore
James also talked about how “spare” or not, Prince Harry is still royalty and his escape from the institution with a hierarchy meant that he wasn’t going to have to “play second fiddle to anyone” anymore.
She said: “Harry grew up as the royal ‘spare’ but he still basked in his royal status as a prince, as well as enjoying high levels of public popularity, and that would have led him to expect to be the center of attention in any room without any need to flex rank.”
James concluded: “Ironically though, Harry seems to have almost replicated his ‘spare’ role with Meghan in a way that seems to endorse the theory that humans will seek out the comfort of the familiar even if that familiar state was causing us grief in the first place.”
