Prince Harry says he was betrayed after he and his wife's decision to step back from their royal duties became a public affair.
In a short clip released before a “60 Minutes” interview with Anderson Cooper, the Duke of Sussex said the leaks were very intentional and meant to turn public perception against the him and the former Meghan Markle after the couple had tried to address their concerns privately.
“And every single time I tried to do it privately there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife,” he said. “You know, the family motto is ‘Never complain, never explain.’ It’s just a motto.”
The Duke of Sussex explained to Cooper how the palace works with the British press. “They will feed or have a conversation with a correspondent, and that correspondent will literally be spoon-fed information and write the story, and at the bottom of it, they will say they have reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
“But the whole story is Buckingham Palace commenting.”
Harry went on to explain, as he did in the Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan,” that he grew frustrated the palace seemed to have a double standard when it came to negative press about the family. “So when we’re being told for the last six years, ‘we can’t put a statement out to protect you,' but you do it for other members of the family, there becomes a point when silence is betrayal,” he told Cooper.
In an accompanying interview with British broadcaster ITV, Harry indicates that the royal family is in no rush to patch things up with the estranged duke and duchess.
“They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile,” he said. “I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back.”
The interviews are set to air on Jan. 8, two days before "Spare," Harry’s autobiography, is set to be released.
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