Cliff Notes
- Five years post-exit from royal duties, Prince Harry’s recent interview highlighted ongoing tensions, featuring personal revelations about his estrangement from his father.
- Despite addressing his grievance over police protection, Harry’s family issues dominated headlines, overshadowing his intended message of reconciliation.
- Palace insiders express concern over lack of coordination before the interview, fearing further risks in communicating with Harry after past criticisms.
Harry’s intention may have been to extend the most public olive branch, but it could cause more hurt | UK News
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It’s five years since Harry and Meghan stepped away from what they saw as the constraints of royal life, and yet if you wanted to see the scale of the ongoing repercussions for the Royal Family, then Harry’s interview was a sledgehammer of a reminder.
They may have left the day-to-day business of the firm, but they are still very much part of the family, albeit, as the duke has now confirmed, being kept at a considerable distance.
Twenty-four hours after his interview, it still feels extraordinary that Prince Harry used his response to losing his appeal to give us the most personal insight we have had in months about where things are with his family.
Losing his latest court battle was always going to hurt, but no one could have expected a response this raw.
Of course, what he says about being estranged from his father gets the headlines.
Sadly for Harry, it has completely overshadowed the other point he was hoping to land just as strongly: his grievance against the Home Office for, he says, unfairly taking away his police protection.
It’s always been a problem for the Royal Family: As soon as they say something personal, that becomes the story.
But now, outside of the fold, Harry does not appear to have anyone around him to ask: “Is this really wise?”
His intention may have been to extend the most public olive branch of reconciliation, but you can’t help but think it’s probably just caused more hurt.
Finding out how it’s really gone down in the palace is more difficult than ever. As Harry has opened up more, palace sources appear to want to share less; it was, after all, Harry who criticised those palace insiders and his own family for briefing against him.
And yet, it is his words about his relatives that are spread all over the front pages on Saturday.
In the past I’ve been told that there was increasingly a sense within the palace that talking to Harry was now seen as potentially taking a risk. Who knows where their words may appear or be quoted back? This interview has sadly proved those doubters right.
There is also disquiet within the palace that they were given little warning of the interview and what had been said in it; “It was hardly a proper request for a right of reply,” is how it was described to me.
The public reaction to the interview is again confirmation of how much Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave and talk so openly continues to split opinion.
For supporters of the Sussexes, his interview just confirms their view of an outdated and cruel institution that could not even protect one of their own.
For those who back the King, the interview will feel like another particularly low blow, especially with his cancer diagnosis.
I’m told the Royal Family is wholly focused on VE Day events, and the preparations are well under way.
On Monday, the rest of the family with again come together at Buckingham Palace to celebrate what they see as true service, duty and loyalty.