Prince Harry has been criticised for showing a “sense of entitlement” in his explosive BBC interview over his UK security – with one PR expert warning it could be “real problem”. The Duke of Sussex’s high-level police protection was removed by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) after he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the US.
The 40-year-old challenged the move in a long-running battle through the courts, but when it was rejected by the Court of Appeal he immediately gave an interview to the BBC blasting the decision. He urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to intervene and said his father, King Charles, would not speak to him over the furore. However, the Duke also insisted that he wanted reconciliation with his family.
Public relations adviser David Yelland said the Duke made “three errors” – that he went in “hot” and “angry”, was “not prepared because he thought he was going to win” the case, and said he did not know “how much longer my father has left”. The comment was widely criticised for raising speculation about King’s health.
The former editor of The Sun said Harry used “the language of trauma” in the interview, saying things like “they said to me your life doesn’t matter any more”.
Speaking on the When It Hits the Fan podcast on BBC Radio 4, Mr Yelland added: “Unfortunately, in PR, the words and language that you use are key. And if you say things like that, it’s really, really difficult for the Palace to deal with.
“This is a brave young person, Harry. He’s a laudable person in many ways, so we need to say that as well.
“But there was also a sense of entitlement that the public can see. And that’s a real problem, I think.”
Mr Yelland’s co-host Simon Lewis, who was communications secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, said there could be “double bounce” effect to the interview, with people potentially viewing it differently in future.
“How people see it and how people perceive it in the months, years to come may well change,” he said.
He described the situation as “sad” for Prince Harry and the Royal Family but also said the “central tenet of PR is often timing – when you choose to do things, and secondly how you choose to do them”.
Mr Lewis believes the Duke could have waited before speaking out and said: “Perhaps he should have delivered some of his messages so much more elegantly.
“A less accusatory approach might have resulted in more sympathy.”
The Duke, who now lives in California with Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, said in the interview that he could not bring his family to the UK without proper security.