Last Friday afternoon, both the royal family and the public were caught off guard when a surprise BBC interview with Prince Harry aired, just after he lost his legal battle over police protection in the UK.
The interview, initially slated to last just ten minutes, extended to nearly thirty. During the conversation, the Duke of Sussex didn’t hold back—he criticized the court’s ruling as a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up,” claimed that King Charles is no longer taking his calls, and acknowledged that he doesn’t know “how long [his father] has left,” given the King’s ongoing cancer treatment. He also made a surprising plea for “reconciliation” with his family.
The broadcast aired without any prior media announcement, and while Buckingham Palace was given a “very brief” heads-up, there was little time to prepare.
On this week’s episode of A Right Royal Podcast, hosts Andrea Caamano and Emily Nash spoke with royal biographer Ingrid Seward about the fallout from the interview—including how King Charles and Prince William found out about it.
Royal editor Emily Nash explained: “There was a very brief awareness-raising at the palace shortly before it broadcast,” she said. “What I understand is that there were, potentially, discussions that might have happened following the conclusion of the court case.”
She added that throughout the legal proceedings, the King deliberately avoided engaging in discussions with his son to maintain constitutional neutrality. “He couldn’t be seen to intervene or influence matters involving His Majesty’s government, particularly while his son was suing it,” Nash noted. “He had to stay well out of it.”
However, once the case ended, there seemed to be an opening for reconciliation. “There was a sense that maybe an olive branch could be extended,” Nash continued. “But that possibility vanished quickly once the interview aired.”
Nash admitted that she now doubts any gesture of reconciliation remains on the table.
Elsewhere in the episode, Ingrid Seward shared that Prince Harry has no regrets about doing the interview, despite global criticism. She also said she believes Princess Diana would be “proud” of her son. The episode also touches on VE Day commemorations and why Prince George’s appearance at Monday’s tea party held particular significance.
