While Prince Harry has faced public criticism for handling family tensions with the Royal Family, conflict expert Julie Cobalt believes his choices may have widened the divide. After quitting royal duties in 2020 with his wife, Meghan Markle, he went on to share personal details about his strained relationships with senior royals in interviews and in his memoir Spare.
Ahead of the Spare’s release in January 2023, Harry told People Magazine: “I don’t want to tell anyone what to think of it and that includes my family. This book and its truths are in many ways a continuation of my own mental health journey.”
Ms Cobalt thinks this approach may have undermined any chance of reconciliation. She told HELLO! Magazine: “Publicly criticising your family, especially in a memoir, virtually guarantees defensiveness and further distance.”
Ms Cobalt explained: “It also strips you of control over how your message is received. If Harry’s goal was reconciliation, a better strategy would have been to work with a conflict coach or mediator. Reconnection requires honest conversation, not public narration.”
Spare included claims about an altercation with Prince William, problems with his father, King Charles, and criticism of Queen Camilla’s alleged links to the press.
The expert suggested Harry may have turned to the public to feel heard. She explained: “Public sharing can feel like control and clarity, but it often replaces resolution with reinforcement.”
She added: “You also risk misinterpretation. Photos, headlines, or quotes taken out of context can inflame things further.”
Prince Harry’s most recent public interview was with BBC America shortly after he lost a legal appeal regarding his security arrangements in the UK.
The Duke of Sussex told the BBC he would “love a reconciliation” with the Royal Family. The Prince also added that his father was not speaking to him over his security legal challenge.
After the court ruling, the prince said: “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
“There have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family,” he added, but had now “forgiven” them.
Shortly after the interview, Buckingham Palace released a rare statement and said: “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.”
