Shock Harry move that ‘blew Charles out of the water’

Prince Harry completely blindsided his father, Prince Charles, during a key moment when he took an unprecedented step against the press.

Prince Harry blew royal protocol out of the way when he released a fiery statement defending then-girlfriend Meghan in 2016.

He released a statement about press intrusion and harassment directed towards the former actress just days after their relationship was revealed.

But it blew a seven-day trip to the Middle East by his father Prince Charles “completely out [of] the water”, reports The Sun.

Speaking to the BBC’s documentary on royal reporting, The Princes and the Press, royal journalist Robert Jobson was with the Prince at the time and had promised him the front page of the Sunday Express on his work.

He said: “When you’re on a trip, say with the Prince of Wales in the Middle East, and all of your negotiations for a week to get the chat with the Prince of Wales, to say, ‘We guarantee you the splash,’ all goes out the window because Harry releases this big statement about the press and about their treatment of Meghan was outrageous.

The royal family has blasted the BBC for airing the documentary. Picture: Phil Harris/AFP

It’s just one of the revelations in the controversial new documentary, which has already been condemned by Prince Charles, Prince William and the Queen in a rare joint statement.

The royal family has lawyers braced to launch action against the BBC over the documentary, and are set to collectively complain to the UK’s media regulator Ofcom for what is believed to be the first time.

The first episode, presented by Amol Rajan, aired this week and explored the relationship of the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex with the media.

Another royal correspondent also alleged Prince Harry “stared daggers” at the media during a tour of Australia in 2018.

Harry and Meghan in Australia in 2018. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The film claims the events happened when the Duke and Meghan visited Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

The Times’ royal correspondent Valentine Low claimed: “Harry had been pretty grumpy on that tour.”

Low also alleged Harry confronted the media on board a plane back to Sydney from Tonga, saying: “There was a long, and incredibly boring welcome ceremony in Fiji. And it was very interesting watching them both, because Meghan was sitting just absolutely perfect on a little throne, Harry was just glowering.

“He was cross with the media, and he spent the entire welcome ceremony just diverting his gaze to one side just to stare daggers at the press pack.”

Low then claims Harry was persuaded by his team to speak to the members of the media.

“He came back, and said something to the effect of, ‘Thanks very much for coming guys – not that you were invited,” he revealed.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.