LONDON (AP) — In the first of two more highly publicized attacks on the British royal family on Sunday, Prince Harry alleges the royal house engaged in damaging media briefings as part of a campaign to rehabilitate the then-girlfriend. from her father Carlos, Camilla.
“He started playing the long game. A campaign aimed at marriage and eventually the crown,” Harry told Tom Bradby, a newscaster for Britain’s ITV broadcaster, in an interview that aired on Sunday.
Harry has long alleged an unhealthy relationship between the royal family and the British media, as well as blaming photographers for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. Harry spent much of the interview describing his anger at what he believes to be an insensitive and irresponsible media outlet.
“The moment that rehabilitation comes to the detriment of others, of myself, of other members of my family, that’s where I draw the line,” he said.
In the interview, which aired just hours before another interview with Anderson Cooper on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Harry goes on to detail his acrimonious separation from the royal family.
His memoir, “Spare,” goes on sale Tuesday.
Camilla, now the queen consort, was widely seen as partly responsible for Charles and Diana’s divorce, and was not popular with the British public. Her profile steadily improved before and after her wedding to Carlos, now king, in 2005.
As he worked to position himself for greater public favor, Harry alleges, he planted unflattering stories about Harry’s wife, the Duchess of Sussex, former US television actress Meghan Markle.
In the interview with Cooper, which airs Sunday at 7:30 p.m. my wife.”
He adds that the statements were not made to protect his family from some media coverage and that “there comes a point where silence is a betrayal.”
He also refuses to agree to attend his father’s coronation as King Carlos III in May. A report in the London Telegraph on Sunday indicated that he might, in fact, not be included in the ceremony.
“There are many things that can happen between now and then. But you know, the door is always open. The ball is in their court,” she says when asked if she will attend. “I really hope they’re willing to sit down and talk about it.”
He says he still believes in the British monarchy but doesn’t know what role it would play in his future.
Harry also said that he wants to reconcile with his family, but only after they take responsibility for some of their actions.
“I think there are probably a lot of people who, after seeing the documentary and reading the book, will say ‘how could you forgive your family for what they’ve done?’ People have already told me that,” he told Bradby. “And I said forgiveness is 100% a possibility because I would like my father back. I would like my brother back. Right now, I don’t recognize them, as much as they probably don’t recognize me.” .”
Details of Harry’s memoir first emerged in leaked advance copies and then after it was mistakenly released for sale in Spain, despite tight security around its publication. NBC News has seen and translated excerpts from a Spanish version of the book.
In the memoir, Harry accuses his brother of physically attacking him in an argument about his marriage to Meghan. He also describes his drug use and suggests that William and Catherine, William’s then girlfriend, encouraged him to dress as a Nazi at a 2005 costume party, for which he was heavily criticized.
He also faced criticism on Friday for his claim in the book that he had killed 25 “enemy combatants” in Afghanistan when he carried out two missions with the British army.
Kensington Palace, which represents William, and Buckingham Palace, which represents Charles, declined to comment on the allegations in the book or interview trailers, which came at an awkward time for the monarchy – just four months. after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of the new king.
A six-part Netflix documentary series last month shows just how acrimonious the couple’s separation from the family has been, focusing on Harry and Meghan’s announcement in 2020 that they would be stepping back from royal duties.
The two first outlined their side of the story in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, accusing family members of racism.
William denied that the family was racist in public comments at the time, and the palace said in a statement that the allegations were “troubling” and that “while some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed privately by the family.” “. .”