Prince Harry updated viewers on his relationship with his family during his and wife Meghan Markle‘s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Harry was quick to refute the narrative that he “blindsided” his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, with the decision to step down as working royals, telling Oprah that he “has too much respect for her” [the queen] to blindside her. He explained that before he and Markle made their official decision to step back, he had three phone calls with his grandmother and two with his father Prince Charles “before he stopped taking my calls.”
Harry admitted that his father and the rest of the “Institution’s” refusal to help stem the tide of racist abuse hurled at Meghan was the main motivator in their decision to leave, and when his written requests for help fell on deaf ears, he felt like they had no choice but to leave for their own safety. Harry admitted that “there’s a lot to work through” with his father. “I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like … Archie is his grandson,” Harry said. “I will always love him. There’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. I will continue to make it one of my priorities to heal that relationship.”
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There have long been rumors of a rift between Harry and his brother, William, and while Harry kept things relatively vague, he admitted that damage had definitely been done. He was quick to extend compassion to his brother because William, as the future king, was “trapped” in the toxic system that he was able to escape, but it was clear that things had gotten icy.
Harry emphasized the bond that he and William had, growing up together in the Royal Family like they had and losing their mother at such a young age. “As I said before, I love William to bits,” he said. “We’ve been through hell together and we have a shared experience but we are on different paths.”
“The relationship is space at the moment and time heals all things, hopefully,” he concluded. Despite the friction with some members of his family, Harry claimed that he had “no regrets.” Leaving was the right thing do for himself, for Meghan, and for their children. “I’m so proud of my wife,” he added. “Without question, she saved me.”
