Prince Harry 'adapts accent' in latest speech, claims expert
Listen closely
Listen closely
Prince Harry quit his royal duties in 2020 to set up life in America with wife Meghan Markle.
Recently the 37-year-old has come under fire for "adapting his accent" by a speech expert, and not in the sense he has adopted an American tone to his voice, but his intonations have changed.
Harry appeared in a video with coaching company BetterUp, which he is chief impact officer for, to speak about mental health.
In the speech a language expert noted he had "softened" his "royal accent", so he would be more approachable to listeners.
Speaking to The Mirror about her observations, Emma Serlin - who is the founder of the London Speech Workshop - said: "Harry’s accent now sounds much more rounded and middle rather than upper class.
"In a classic Harry way, he’s doing what we know him to be - he’s the friendly prince, he’s charming, he connects with people. He is his mother’s son.
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"He is now of the people in a much more overt way.
"He has always toned the classic royal accent down and softened it, but previously he was much more aligned with the Royal Family.
"Now that Harry hardly ever sees the Royal Family - not only is he no longer aligned with them in the same way, but he also doesn’t spend time with them in the same way.
"So, he has adapted his accent to connect more with the people he is meeting and seeing every day, and the people around him."
But Emma doesn't think this new tone of voice won't last forever, and if he decides to the royal family and pick up his duties once again, which may seem him and Meghan Markle carry out a long distance marriage, his stronger accent could return.
Emma continued: "Ultimately, I’m sure he would heighten his accent if he was around the Royal Family again, but it's really about adapting to build connections."
Maisie is a writer and editor, covering Royal News, Showbiz, Lifestyle content, as well as Shopping Writing and E-Commerce, for print and digital publications, including Marie Claire, Hello!, Fabulous, Mail Online and Yahoo!.
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