Prince Harry’s ’gross insult’ to Charles and William
Prince Harry has been blasted over a sensational claim he made about the queen in a new TV interview, where he also dodged a simple question about Prince Charles and William.
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Prince Harry has been slammed as “delusional” by royal experts after he revealed details about his top-secret meeting with the Queen and his life in the US with wife Meghan Markle in a new TV interview.
Speaking with NBC Today from The Hague in The Netherlands, the Duke of Sussex claimed that he is “protecting” the Queen and trying to make sure she has “the right people around her” after he and his wife Meghan quit royal duties and moved to California
During the interview, host Hoda Kotb asked Prince Harry about his recent visit with the Queen and how it felt being back in the UK.
“Being with her, it was great. It was just so nice to see her,” he said.
“You know she’s on great form. She’s always got a great sense of humour with me. And I’m just making sure that she’s, you know, protected and got the right people around her.”
NEW: Prince Harry on whether heâs attending the queenâs Jubilee this year: âI don't know yet. There's lots of things: security issues and everything else. So this is what I'm trying to do, trying to make it possible that, you know, I can get my kids to meet her.â pic.twitter.com/180vYIj33L
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 20, 2022
The prince’s remarks were branded by some royal experts as a “gross insult” to Charles and William after the show aired – just 24 hours before the elderly monarch’s 96th birthday.
“Prince Harry says on US TV he is making sure the Queen is ‘protected and has the right people around her’. How so? I think you’ll find that Prince Charles and Her Majesty’s children and William are DOING just that and supporting the Queen, with actions – and not just words.”
Angela Levin, who wrote the book Harry: Conversations with the Prince, claimed: “Harry’s comment on US TV about him checking the Queen is protected is a gross insult to Prince Charles and William. He’s underlined even more that he doesn’t deserve to attend the Jubilee celebrations and be on the Balcony”.
Morning Show journalist Peter Ford described the duke as “delusional”, adding: “Prince Harry says he’s making sure The Queen is ‘protected & has ‘the right people around her’! Yet he was nowhere to be seen at Prince Philip’s memorial. He was busy talking to Oprah when Prince Philip was on his death bed! He’s delusional.”
Make no mistake the only reason Harry wants to present some ridiculous scenario that heâs offering guidance to the Queen is to keep Netflix bosses on side. https://t.co/q3Xi6k2vRN
— Peter Ford (@mrpford) April 20, 2022
And former Conservative MP David Mellor told GB News: ‘On came the news about Harry saying his granny needs to be protected and I fell about. This was a real comic turn. The most best-paid comedian couldn’t be funnier than that. What is the man on? Or rather what is he off?
“I mean, you just think to yourself, he is really showing signs. But I think what it is, his life is totally distorted now by becoming a Kardashian-type figure, where he’s surrounded by people who want to photograph him because they’re paying him lots of money for the privilege of filming him, and the Queen becomes important to him only because he has to see the Queen for his credibility on Netflix.”
When asked whether he will return to the UK to mark his grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee, Prince Harry said: “I don’t know if I’ll come. There are lots of issues with security and everything else. “That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to do everything to make sure my kids can meet her.”
During the interview, host Hoda Kotb asked Prince Harry about his visit with the Queen and how it felt being back in the UK.
“Being with her, it was great. It was just so nice to see her,” he said.
“You know she’s on great form. She’s always got a great sense of humour with me. And I’m just making sure that she’s, you know, protected and got the right people around her.”
Kotb then asked the duke: “Do you miss your family?”
“Yes, especially over the last two years,” he responded.
“For most people, have they not missed their family? Right, the ability to get home? Of course, you know, that’s a huge part of it.”
Kotb pressed the royal about whether he specifically misses his father Prince Charles and his brother Prince William.
NEW: Prince Harry shares how he talks to Archie about âGrandma Dianaâ and shares how he feels his motherâs presence: âIt's constant. It has been over the last two years. More so than ever before.â pic.twitter.com/NCeGtoZuVZ
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 20, 2022
Prince Harry dodged the question and instead discussed Invictus and his family in California. He shares son Archie, two, and daughter Lilibet, 10 months with his wife Meghan Markle. “For me, at the moment, I’m here to focus on these guys and these families, and giving everything I can,” Harry said of the Invictus competitors and their families. “To make sure that they have the experience of a lifetime.
“That’s my focus here. And when I leave here, I get back and my focus is on my family who I miss massively.”
He went on to say that the US now feels like home to him.
“Home for me now is, for the time being, it’s in the States. And it really feels that way as well,” Prince Harry said.
“We’ve been welcomed with open arms and we’ve got such a great community in Santa Barbara.”
It comes as People magazine in the US also published an interview with the Prince where he spoke about the “transformative power” of the Invictus Games and his own battles.
“Life is full of extraordinary gifts and challenges, many that can be seen as lessons,” the royal told People.
“Over time, I’ve learned that how we mentally approach and react to the ups and downs — those gifts and challenges — is what helps to define our own outcome.”
He also spoke about how he wanted to be out of the military before having a family.
“Being a dad certainly adds another emotional layer to it,” he said.
WATCH: Will you come to the Queenâs Platimum Jubilee, Prince Harry asked.
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) April 20, 2022
Harry: âI don't know yet. There's lots of things: security issues and everything else. So this is what I'm trying to do, trying to make it possible that, you know, I can get my kids to meet her.â@TODAYshowpic.twitter.com/JzdcfyMA0w
“When I was in the Army, I promised myself I would be out before having a wife and kids, because I couldn’t imagine the heartache of being apart for so long during deployment, the risk of possibly getting injured, and the reality that my family’s lives could be changed forever if that happened. Every member of the Invictus community has experienced varying degrees of these things. I have tremendous respect for what they and their families sacrifice in the name of service.”
Prince Harry – now alone after Meghan flew home to Los Angeles to be with the couple’s children – spoke to the Australian team on day three of the Invictus Games.
He smiled and laughed with the team and then later surprised a crowd of onlookers by taking part in a virtual golf lesson.
And the Duke raised a laugh after telling a photographer to stand away from his swing, saying: “There is actually nowhere safe to stand.”
After striking the ball he cheekily turned and smiled at onlookers and said: “Can I have some more”.
The royal whose every step was followed by a huge entourage from Archewell and Barack Obama’s former bodyguard Christopher Sanchez, drew a massive crowd at the park in The Hague, Netherlands.
He was reluctantly coaxed into playing table tennis with members of the German team.
After losing a rally he joked: “I’ve got to warm up.”
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
Prince Harry’s every move is also being captured by a team from Netflix as part of his $200 million deal with the streaming giants.
Last week, it was reported how Prince Harry and Meghan met Prince Charles, Camilla and the Queen at Windsor Castleduring their first face-to-face meeting in more than two years.
The Duke of Sussex offered an “olive branch” to his father before he and Meghan arrived for secret talks.
The couple also met with Camilla, sources confirmed.
An insider said of the UK visit: “Harry contacted his father and said he wanted to meet.”
Sources have claimed the Queen invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June.
But non-working members of the firm are not able to take part in Trooping the Colour – or play any central role in Jubilee events.
This makes it highly unlikely that the couple will play a part in the Queen’s celebration of 70 years on the throne.
It is understood to be the Queen’s “dearest wish” to see her family reunited on the balcony during her four-day celebration, the Express reports. Sources close to the palace said the claims were “speculation” and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.