Watch: Prince Harry Opens Up About Family Rift, Reveals Media ‘Abuse’ Has Silenced Him
In a recent interview with ITV, Prince Harry discussed the impact of his legal battles with the British tabloids on his relationship with his family. He described himself as a man of principle who took a stand against media intrusion, particularly after he won damages last year for unlawful snooping. Harry expressed that the media’s relentless attacks and the family’s differing responses to them have widened the rift between him and relatives, particularly regarding his marriage to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
He stated that while he believes addressing these issues is important for the greater good, his attempts to engage the family in these conversations have not been met with support. Harry referenced a covert arrangement among royal family members intended to prevent legal action against tabloids in exchange for privacy, further complicating his position. He likened his experiences to those of his late mother, Princess Diana, asserting that she faced similar media pressures and that her concerns about being targeted were validated over time.
Harry conveyed a sense of ongoing struggle, asserting the need for dialogue about these challenges as part of a mission he feels compelled to pursue, despite the personal and familial costs involved.
Framing himself as a bold man of principle who confronted the media when other family members would not, Prince Harry said the battle with Britain’s tabloids exacerbated tensions that led to a chasm between him and his family.
ITV interviewer Rebecca Barry asked about the battle against tabloids the royal said crossed the line in the snooping, in which Harry was awarded damages last year.
“I think that’s certainly a central piece to it,” Harry said in a video snippet of the interview posted to X. He did not elaborate further.
“But that’s a hard question to answer, because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press,” he added.
EXCL: Prince Harry tells me his legal fight with tabloids was a “central piece” in the breakdown of his relationship with his family.
In our ITV1 documentary ,Tabloids on Trial, Harry says in a “public role these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good”. pic.twitter.com/M065MbRShk
— Rebecca Barry (@BeccaBarry) July 24, 2024
“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done, it would be nice if we did it as a family,” Harry continued.
Harry, who elsewhere had said disapproval over his marriage to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was a critical cause of the estrangement, said he was waging a necessary battle.
“I believe that from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role, these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good. I’m doing this for my reasons,” he said.
Asked to comment on the decision by other family members not to join him, Harry answered obliquely.
“I think everything that’s played out has shown people what the truth of the matter is,” Harry said.
He added: “For me, the mission continues. But it has, it has, it’s caused, as you say, part of the rift.”
A report in The New York Times citing Harry’s lawsuit against News Group Newspapers indicated there was a “secret agreement,” that led to the royal family not making legal claims against the publication in exchange for keeping embarrassing details private that the tabloids found out about through intercepted voice mail messages.
In his new interview, Harry put a new twist on the maxim that when people are in fact out to get you, it is not being paranoid to suspect them of doing so, according to the U.K. Independent.
“I think paranoia is a very interesting word because yes, then it could be paranoia, but then when you’re vindicated it proves that you weren’t being paranoid. You know, same with my mother,” he said, referring to Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in 1997 in a car accident that followed a chase to elude photographers.
“When you’re vindicated it proves you weren’t being paranoid”
Prince Harry says he experienced the same paranoia as his mother Princess Diana.@BeccaBarry‘s exclusive interview features in Tabloids on Trial on ITV1 at 9pm on Thursday.
Read more here: https://t.co/w0oO0UXal5 pic.twitter.com/y0k0UXI4Ep
— ITV News (@itvnews) July 24, 2024
“You know, there is evidence to suggest that she was being hacked in the mid-nineties, probably one of the first people to be hacked and yet still today, the press, the tabloid press very much enjoy painting her as being paranoid,” Harry said.
He eventually noted: “But she wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right of what was happening to her. And she’s not around today to find out the truth.”
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