Watch: Prince Harry Opens Up About Family Rift, Reveals Media ‘Abuse’ Has Silenced Him
In an interview with ITV, Prince Harry discussed the significant impact of his ongoing legal battles with British tabloids on his relationship with his family. He portrayed himself as a principled figure who took a stand against media intrusions, which he believes contributed to a growing rift between him and his relatives. Harry referenced an incident in which he was awarded damages for privacy violations by the press, indicating that this specific conflict fueled family tensions.
He expressed frustration over how discussing family matters often results in negative media scrutiny and suggested that the royal family’s past decisions not to confront the tabloids may have stemmed from a desire to maintain privacy. Harry emphasized that he feels justified in pursuing this battle for the greater good, despite the personal cost it may carry. He also drew parallels between his experiences and those of his late mother, Princess Diana, highlighting the dangerous relationship between royal family members and the press. Harry framed his actions as a necessary defense against media aggression, which he believes historically has put his family at risk.
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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