Prince Harry said he is “100 percent” confident he can reconcile with his family, despite launching a fresh wave of attacks on King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate in an explosive 90-minute interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby that aired Sunday.
Claiming that his family and the British media drove him and Meghan Markle out of Britain, Harry said that some members of his family chose to “get into bed with the devil” to tarnish his and Meghan’s reputation in order to improve their own. While he claimed he wants to make peace, he said his family have “shown no willingness to reconcile.”
During the sit-down interview to promote his autobiography Spare (due out Tuesday) that aired on ITV, Harry read excerpts from the book, specifically passages that covered parts of his childhood, his school years and the traumatic impact Princess Diana’s death had on him. Harry described he and William as being “on different paths” since they were young boys, saying they dealt with their mother’s death in “different ways.”
He also revealed a deep sibling rivalry that dated back to their school days, however, he insisted “I’ve always loved my brother.” When asked whether there was any chance of a reconciliation between them, Harry said he “genuinely believes” there can be a resolution, saying, “I hope there can be a constructive conversation” but he insisted that they needed to keep “the antagonists” as he referred to the British tabloid press, out.
It was a matter Harry was pressed on by Bradby, an old friend who has interviewed the prince on numerous occasions over the years. When asked about the tirade of very public criticism he has leveled at his family, Harry blamed the British press for creating conflict and a culture war in the UK and said, “Silence only allows the abuser to abuse, I don’t see how silence can make things better.”
In his memoir, Harry writes that William feels he has been brainwashed by therapy, however, Harry told Bradby he was in a good place and happier than he has ever been.
Harry’s approach in promoting the blockbuster book has, unsurprisingly, irked the royals and those close to them, sources say. As one tells Vanity Fair, Harry “totally fails to see the irony and hypocrisy in what he says. When there have been private family conversations, it has been Harry who has leaked them to the press.”
On Saturday, sources close to the royal family expressed their shock at Harry’s book and interview saying, “He is on a path of self-destruction. There is so much vengeance. The late Queen would have been absolutely devastated.” They added that any reconciliation appears unlikely in the short term.
Before the interview aired, former Buckingham Palace communications advisor Dickie Arbiter told Vanity Fair he thought Harry would ultimately regret speaking out and that the Palace was unlikely to comment as the saga continues to escalate.
“If Harry wants to engage he has to eat humble pie and he doesn’t show any signs of doing that,” he said. “From my perspective, the institution did a lot to help Harry but he got to a point where he stopped taking the advice. Harry’s always been stubborn. He was always going to go his own way and do his own thing. As for his book, I think he’ll regret not having pulled it. It’s done now. He can’t undo this.”
Among the revelations to emerge from the Bradby interview are Harry’s claims that William and Kate made Meghan feel unwelcome from the start of their relationship, buying into the stereotyping of Meghan as a famous American actress, who was a divorcée and mixed race. Revealing that William and Kate were fans of Suits, the American legal drama in which Meghan starred, he said they were wary of his future wife from the outset.
Katie Nicholl
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