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Prince Harry sat down with the BBC this week for a wide-ranging interview.
Naturally, the discussion quickly turned toward Harry’s relationship with his family.
And now, some critics are calling out the Duke of Sussex for remarks he made about his father’s health.
At one point in the interview, Harry confirmed that he’s no longer on speaking terms with Charles.
“There have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things, but… there’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” he said, via the Daily Mail.
“Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has; he won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. It would be nice to reconcile.”
Harry’s comments received widespread criticism from folks who are still loyal to the crown, with many accusing the prince of making vague remarks in order to manipulate public discourse.
Alisa Anderson, a former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, complained that Harry might “cause real concern and more speculation in the media and the wider public about what his diagnosis is, which is incredibly unhelpful going forward.”
“What you don’t want to do is have your private life played out in the media. So if you truly want reconciliation, you’ll do it in private, not in a BBC News interview,” Anderson added.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams took issue with the alleged implication that Charles has the authority to settle Harry’s security dispute, but simply chooses not to.
“He didn’t say that exactly, because he said that his father would step aside and let the experts decide. But then, on the other hand, that implied that his father was part of the process that was against him,” Fitzwilliams explained.
“I think people will find it confusing, because, in my opinion, it was confused.”
A Harry situation
For years now, Harry has been fighting for access to taxpayer-funded security for himself and his family when they visit the UK.
Other members of Harry’s family enjoy the benefit of dedicated security teams, but Harry was stripped of that privilege when he stepped down as a working royal.
Harry lost his latest appeal in court last week, and it looks as though the issue will continue to be a contentious one within the royal family.
And if Harry is hoping that his father will intervene and settle the matter, he’s likely to be disappointed.
