Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with the BBC may have been almost a week ago, however it is still very much a hot topic of conversation. After losing his court appeal regarding his UK security rights last Friday, the Duke of Sussex, 40, sat down with the BBC and made a series of shocking claims.
As well as saying he did not know how long his father King Charles has “left”, Harry also suggested the Palace had some form of involvement in reducing his security rights in 2020 – the year Harry and his wife Meghan Markle quit life as senior royals and moved to the US. The dad-of-two also said he believes some people could be happy about the duke’s reduced security, which he has argued puts his wife and two children Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, three, at risk. While some of Harry’s friends may be supporting the duke following his lost court appeal, some of his oldest pals have instead criticised him.
As reported by Richard Eden for The Daily Mail, Harry’s old friend Ben Goldsmith is one of the prince’s old pals that disagree with Harry’s behaviour, calling it “unforgiveable”.
Mr Goldsmith, 44, said this week: “Tragic but true – Prince Harry’s behaviour is unforgivable.”
He wasn’t the only one of Harry’s former friends to share this view. Royal expert Eden also said he was contacted by another of the duke’s pals who labelled Harry’s interview as “disgusting”.
The friend told Eden: “I don’t know what’s more disgusting – Harry’s comment about his father’s health or his suggestion that people want him dead. It’s very sad, but we all know that he doesn’t want to hear things he disagrees with.”
Harry did not mention relationships with his old friends in the BBC interview, however he did touch on the fact that relationships with some of his royal relatives remain fractured.
The duke claimed his father King Charles “won’t talk” to him as a result of the security case, and even said some members of his family will not forgive him for his decision to write his memoir Spare, which was released in 2023.
Speaking to the BBC, Harry said: “Of course some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book, of course they will never forgive me for lots of things, but I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”
Buckingham Palace released a statement after the interview last week, but did not touch on these family matters. Instead, they addressed the court outcome. A Palace spokesperson said: “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.”