Royal Expert Calls Prince Harry’s Comment About Protecting the Queen a ‘Calculated Dig’

A royal expert unpacked Prince Harry’s recent comment about protecting the queen, calling it a “calculated dig” at Queen Elizabeth’s senior aides. The way Harry “dropped it into the conversation” is significant, the expert said.

Prince Harry shared his desire to make sure the queen is protected

During an April 20 interview with Today‘s Hoda Kotb, Prince Harry was asked about his recent visit with the queen. While he was brief in his explanation, he made one small comment that really stood out.

Harry noted how “it was really nice to catch up to her.” He explained, “Being with her, it was great. It was just so nice to see her. She’s on great form. She’s always got a great sense of humor with me.”

Prince Harry’s comment about wanting to protect his grandmother drew a lot of criticism. “I’m just making sure that she’s, you know, protected and got the right people around her,” he said.

Expert calls Harry’s comment ‘a calculated dig’

Royal expert Richard Palmer shared his thoughts during an appearance on the Royal Roundup, calling Harry’s comment “a calculated dig.”

“To me, the most significant thing was he had a go at people around the queen,” Palmer shared. “He said he wanted to come back to ensure that she was being protected and had the right people around her.”

The expert continued, “I think that’s provoked a lot of comments. My understanding is that the feeling inside the royal household was that that was a calculated dig at some of the queen’s senior advisers.”

Palmer explained how Harry’s comment was out of left field. “He hadn’t really been asked about it, he just sort of dropped it into the conversation, as far as I can remember,” he said.

The expert shared, “I think there’s a lot of bitterness from Harry and Meghan still about the way that their exit was handled. They really wanted a half in/half out approach. The queen wasn’t having that.”

Palmer added, “So that was to me the most significant thing. But then the other thing, of course, was that he was asked whether he was missing his father and his brother. And he just completely sidestep that question.”

Royal expert believes Harry ‘knew the reaction he was going to get’

Royal expert Roya Nikkhah also weighed in on Harry’s comment when she appeared on True Royalty’s The Royal Beat.

“Quite triggering probably for the rest of his family who are around the queen all the time and who I am sure the queen does confide in,” Nikkhah said during a discussion of Harry’s interview.

“There is no doubting that Harry and his granny have an incredibly special close relationship,” she continued. “But to say to an American network — knowing that the comment is going to go round the world and come right back at your family — that the queen tells Harry things that she feels she cannot tell any other member of her family who she sees much more regularly … feels quite incendiary.”

Nikkhah added, “Harry probably knew the reaction that he was going to get.”