Prince Harry is in damage control after it emerged he sensationally claimed “those Brits need to learn a lesson” ahead of his tell-all interview with US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey last year.
London’s Sun newspaper splashed its Sunday front page headline with the allegation that – in the days before Harry and his American wife Meghan Markle sat down with Winfrey in March 2021 – he had “bragged” to a friend: “This is going to be quite shocking”.
“Those Brits need to learn a lesson.”
Tweet from @TheSun
Among the claims in the interview, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who walked away from official duties in late 2020 and moved to the US – claimed the royal family was racist, that Meghan had suicidal thoughts while pregnant and had been “silenced” by Buckingham Palace.
But in a rapid rebuff, Harry and Meghan’s unofficial spokesperson, royal author Omid Scobie took to Twitter on Monday to claim the article was “a baseless hit piece masquerading as journalism”.
“This story is riddled with inaccuracies, not least of which is a quote erroneously attributed to Prince Harry,” he wrote.
“To accuse a man who spent 10 years [in the British army] serving his country of wanting to teach that same country a lesson is not only an attempted distraction but an unfortunate and predictable tabloid strategy.
“To put him against his country is shameful and manipulative, especially when Prince Harry has never spoken ill of the British public.”
Tweet from @scobie
A crucial week for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
The allegation emerged as Harry and Meghan prepared to head to New York City to accept the Robert F Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Foundation.
Tuesday’s presentation will honour them for speaking out about racial justice, mental health and other social impact actions through their Archewell Foundation.
“They went to the oldest institution in UK history and told them what they were doing wrong, that they couldn’t have structural racism within the institution,” foundation boss Kerry Kennedy said in a recent interview with Spanish magazine El Confidencial’s Vanitatis.
Harry and Meghan are also taking on new leadership roles at Archewell following the departure of their senior aide Mandana Dayani after less than 18 months. She has reportedly stepped down “by mutual agreement”.
It follows last week’s visit to Boston by Harry’s brother Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales. The Prince and Princess of Wales made their first visit to the US since 2014 to present the multimillion-dollar Earthshot prize in a glittering awards ceremony.
That visit came as Buckingham Palace was hit by another race row and Prince William’s godmother Lady Susan Hussey was made to resign.
Some sections of the media believe the Sussexes will bring up the latest controversy in Tuesday’s acceptance speech.
“I really do think that Harry and Meghan will be loving the race row at Buckingham Palace because it vindicates their fears and what they’ve said before,” Mail +’s Palace Confidential commentator Richard Eden said.
“It gives them evidence for their complaints.”
‘One of the most-discussed couples in history’: Netflix
Meanwhile, the rift between Harry and Meghan and William and Kate is set to deepen as the $100 million six-part Netflix docu-series about the California-based royals begins airing on Thursday.
The explosive one-minute trailer – which coincidentally dropped on the day the Prince and Princess of Wales handed out their Earthshot Prizes for climate change and environmental causes in Boston last Friday – shows never-before-seen footage of the Sussexes.
According to the streaming giant, the “unprecedented” series “shares the other side of their high-profile love story”.
“The series explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution,” Netflix said.
“With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.
One particular photo in the trailer has raised eyebrows. It shows Harry and Meghan holding hands as they walk through a private part of Buckingham Palace.
Britain’s Express newspaper reported palace aides complained about the presence of the photographer at the time, noting the couple had not asked for permission.
According to the paper, anyone wishing to film or shoot in Queen Elizabeth’s home (as it was at the time) must first have her permission.
“It’s fair to say there was surprise to see there was a photographer,” one source told The Telegraph.
