Prince Harry ‘Doesn’t Truly Understand’ What Prince William Meant During Meghan Markle ‘Concerns’ Conversation
TL;DR:
- Prince Harry spoke to journalist Tom Bradby for an ITV interview that aired in the U.K. on Jan. 8.
- During the two-hour TV special, Prince Harry revealed Prince William “aired some concerns” before he married Meghan Markle in 2018.
- “’This is going to be really hard for you,’” Prince Harry recalled Prince William telling him.
- “I, still to this day, don’t truly understand which part of what he was talking about,” Prince Harry said.
Prince Harry’s opening up about Spare and the royal family. In a Jan. 8 interview ahead of his memoir’s release, the Duke of Sussex recalled when his brother, Prince William, “aired some concerns” about marrying Meghan Markle. Ahead, what Harry still doesn’t “truly understand” about the conversation.
Prince Harry said Prince William ‘aired some concerns’ before he married Meghan Markle
In the first of a series of interviews ahead of Spare’s global release, Harry sat down with his long-time friend and ITV correspondent Tom Bradby. Their conversation aired in the U.K. on Jan. 8 as a two-hour TV special.
During the wide-ranging interview, Harry shared that his older brother, the now-Prince of Wales, didn’t discourage him from marrying Meghan. Rather, he “aired some concerns,” as Harry put it (via Independent).
“He [William] never tried to dissuade me from marrying Meghan,” Harry told Bradby. “But he aired some concerns very early, and said, ‘This is going to be really hard for you.’”
In the days prior to Harry’s ITV interview airing, excerpts of his highly-anticipated Spare memoir became public. One from The Guardian revealed Harry’s claim of a physical attack from William in which his brother pushed him down after calling Meghan “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive.”
Harry addressed the incident after Bradby recapped Harry’s claim by reading a Spare excerpt saying he’d “seen a red mist in William.” Therapy, which “helped him control that anger and frustration,” stopped him from retaliating, Harry explained.
Prince Harry admitted he doesn’t get the ‘this’ Prince William was referring to
Harry continued, confessing to Bradby, the same journalist who interviewed both him and Meghan for their 2019 Africa documentary, he wasn’t quite sure exactly what William was talking about during their conversation.
“I, still to this day, don’t truly understand which part of what he was talking about,” Harry said, referring to William’s “This is going to be really hard for you” comment.
“But maybe, you know, he predicted what the British press’s reaction was going to be,” Harry added.
Prince Harry isn’t currently on speaking terms with Prince William
In a pre-recorded 60 Minutes interview that aired on Jan. 8, journalist Anderson Cooper asked Harry if he was in communication with his father and brother.
“Do you speak to William now? Do you text?” Cooper asked. “Uh, currently, no. But I look forward to — I look forward to us being able to find peace,” Harry replied. Cooper then asked how long it had been since they last talked, to which Harry said, “A while.”
The CNN anchor also asked Harry if he was talking to King Charles. “Do you speak to your dad?” he asked. “We aren’t — we haven’t spoken for quite a while,” Harry replied. “Um, no, not recently.”
Harry’s last public appearance with King Charles, William — and many other royals — was in Sept. 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Spare hits shelves globally on Jan. 10.
