“I certainly don’t want any sympathy,” Prince Harry says in yet another interview. “We’re way past that.”
Does he really want no sympathy? It is a fair question.
And if we are truly “way past that,” another question follows: What are we all still doing here?
Harry spoke to GQ magazine in an extended video interview published Tuesday. Its unimaginative title, “Prince Harry Opens Up,” prompted an understandable reaction from a weary public: Again? Really?
The subheading promised discussion of “Grieving Princess Diana and The Royal Reconciliation.”
Ah. So, the usual subjects.
By now, the public resembles an unfortunate dinner-party guest trapped beside a bore. He has one or two obsessions, both repeated so often they have been worn down to nothing, yet he continues talking while everyone nearby nods politely and waits for the conversation to end.
Harry, it seems, has no intention of stopping.
Prince Harry gave GQ magazine a lengthy video interview published Tuesday, prompting a familiar response from a weary public: Again? Really?
Still, he managed to generate a headline—one that appeared, once again, to cast himself as the victim and his brother, Prince William, as the aggressor.
After Harry and Meghan’s unhappy return to the UK—the country where they have alleged that members of the royal family drove Meghan toward suicidal thoughts and failed to support her—it seemed inevitable that Harry, now more unpopular than ever, would blame others for the continuing estrangement.
“Some people don’t want it to work out,” Harry said.
Some people.
Within hours of the interview’s release, a Sussex spokesman insisted that Harry was not referring to William.
“It was absolutely not intended as a swipe at his brother or any other member of his family,” he said. “The comment was made in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way.”
At this stage, Harry might as well say it plainly. He appears to be very close.
He should concede defeat and acknowledge what his body language, slumped posture and tired expression seemed to communicate during the GQ interview: He knows the relationship is over.
Nothing appears to have shaken William—not the Oprah interview, the Netflix documentary, Harry’s memoir Spare, the succession of grievance-filled interviews, Meghan’s Instagram photoshoot at Princess Diana’s resting place, the couple’s quasi-royal tours or their walkabout in Nottingham last week.
William has responded to Harry and Meghan’s earlier attacks only once, saying, “We are very much not a racist family.” Since then, he has carried on with his duties and focused on the future of the monarchy.
Harry appeared to generate another headline by presenting himself as the victim and Prince William as the person responsible for the family conflict.
Neither the Oprah interview, the Netflix documentary, Spare, the repeated interviews or the couple’s Nottingham walkabout last week (above) appears to have unsettled William.
Meanwhile, Harry continues to lament the consequences of decisions he and Meghan made themselves.
Some people do not want the relationship repaired.
But why would they, Harry? At every turn, you have given them reasons to question your trustworthiness.
“I want to work it out,” he continued.
Does Harry believe that Sussex sources briefing People magazine about plans to pursue a “half-in, half-out” royal role after returning to the UK—despite the late Queen Elizabeth’s decision against that arrangement—would help bring about reconciliation?
A People cover story published on April 29 was headlined “Harry & Meghan: Making Their Own Rules.” The article was accompanied by a quote from Harry: “I’m Doing the Things I Was Born to Do.”
The story highlighted Harry’s unannounced visit to war-torn Ukraine two days earlier, where he was asked whether “not a working royal” accurately described his position.
“No,” Harry replied. “I will always be part of the royal family… I am here working, doing the things I was born to do.”
It was, plainly, a defiant statement.
Harry and Meghan’s allies repeated that position Monday, one day before the GQ interview was released. They told People magazine that the couple “never agreed they wouldn’t be half in, half out. That was what was decided and foisted upon them.”
But that is not how a monarchy operates. The reigning monarch sets the rules. Harry and Meghan may disagree with those decisions, but if they want to remain part of the institution, they must abide by them.
This, then, is how Harry and Meghan are choosing to honor the late Queen Elizabeth, who allowed them to retain their royal titles when they stepped back.
It is a deeply ungracious response.
Nor should we forget that Prince Charles helped ease their departure, reportedly providing the couple with a “substantial sum” as they relocated to California.
Clarence House later released financial documents after Harry told Oprah that “my family literally cut me off financially.” The records showed that Prince William, Prince Harry and their households received a share of a reported £4.5 million during the 2020 fiscal year.
A Sussex spokesman said at the time: “The Duke’s comments during the Oprah interview were in reference to the first quarter of the fiscal reporting period in the UK, which starts annually in April.”
In other words, he did receive the money.
Some people do not want to repair the relationship.
Harry appeared to be lamenting the consequences of his own choices when he told GQ, “I want to work it out.”
King Charles III speaks with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, at Windsor Castle on October 20.
Then came the familiar appeal made by public figures caught in crises of their own making.
“With everything else that’s going on in the world,” Harry told GQ, “the most important thing is to reconcile.” The remark seemed designed to make anyone following the Sussex saga feel petty for paying attention to the couple’s ongoing public dispute.
Yet, speaking of the events unfolding around the world, Harry’s interview was released shortly before King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, welcomed the Sultan of Oman to a state dinner.
A Sussex spokesman said the timing was “entirely the publishers’ decision.” Even so, anyone genuinely focused on reconciliation might have shown some awareness of the moment.
The interview had been recorded in late September. The state visit was announced on September 3.
During the dinner, Charles praised William, saying, “There can be few happier symbols of success than a living relationship being passed from one generation to the next.” Speaking directly to the Sultan, he added: “I have been especially delighted to see our sons… become joint patrons of the Jewel of Arabia Expedition.”
The message was unmistakable.
And Harry should understand that it is not merely “some” people who do not want this to work. At this point, it may be most of us.
