Prince Harry appeared to struggle to stay composed during his recent appearance on the Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know podcast, where the comedian’s playful humor seemed to make the Duke of Sussex visibly uncomfortable.
Throughout the conversation, Hasan Minhaj used his signature mix of sharp wit and satire while discussing Harry’s memoir Spare. According to body language expert Judi James, the exchange revealed that the host’s humor unsettled the prince at times.
Speaking to the Mirror, James explained, “Hasan’s ability to blend serious and important messages with the kind of mocking humour that Ali G used to be known for appears, from Harry’s body language, to be a de-stabilizing technique.”
She added that Harry was able to respond to some of the jokes but began to lose his footing as the tone shifted. “He can throw back one-liners efficiently enough, but it’s here where his host seems to trip over the border from trading jokes and laughing with Harry to laughing at him that sees Harry become increasingly uncomfortable.”
James noted that one particular moment highlighted Harry’s discomfort — when Minhaj asked him to perform an “American accent.” She observed that the prince looked genuinely concerned, glancing toward the crew and asking, “Is this part of the thing?” as if unsure whether he was being mocked.
“Hasan takes his gags beyond Harry’s understanding here, leaving him with no wriggle room to out-joke the host,” James continued. “Harry tells his host he’s ‘sweating’ at this point, and his discomfort looks obvious.”
When the discussion turned to Spare, Minhaj referred to Harry’s “vulnerability,” which seemed to momentarily relax the duke, leading him to believe they were shifting to a serious conversation about mental health. However, Minhaj instead quoted a line about Harry buying his clothes from TKMaxx, leaving the prince once again thrown off balance.
James explained, “His change of expression suggests he believes this is the part where they talk seriously about his mental health, but the quote the host uses is about how Harry had to buy his clothes from TKMaxx, which again seems to wrong-foot Harry.”
While Harry managed to remain composed overall, his body language revealed signs of unease under Minhaj’s teasing. The lighthearted interview has since drawn attention online, with viewers divided between those who enjoyed the comedian’s humor and others who felt sympathy for the prince’s discomfort.