An attack on the government by Prince Harry, tacked onto the end of his witness statement in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for phone hacking, is “extremely difficult and uncomfortable” for the monarchy, which is constitutionally required to be “above politics,” sources have said. Towards the end of his lengthy statement, Harry declared: “Our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our government, both of which I believe are at rock bottom.” Speaking to The Sunday Times about the comment, a royal source said: “The Palace will find that extremely difficult and uncomfortable, because you can never fully separate yourself from the institution and it will have raised eyebrows on both sides of the park—at Westminster too—not least because it wasn’t necessary for the core of his case. “But it only underlines the wisdom and importance of [Elizabeth II’s] decisions taken at Sandringham [the family summit in January 2020], that you cannot be half-in and half-out. Those decisions are now the royal family’s insurance—when one of its members continues to break with convention, they can point out that he is speaking as Harry Windsor, not as the Duke of Sussex, working member of the royal family representing the nation. Then, there is the deep irony of a member of the royal family talking about how the country is judged around the world, which is often by and through the royal family. It shows a deep misunderstanding by him.” Another source, described by the Sunday Times’ Roya Nikkhah as someone “who knows Harry well,” says: “I think he’s been sitting in the Californian sunshine for a long time, hanging out with James Corden [the actor and TV host] and has lost all the instincts on how to do this, how to conduct himself carefully, still as a member of the royal family. He’s lost the knack of what he can and can’t say and there is no one around him to say, ‘No, Harry, you can’t say that, take that bit out’. It’s embarrassing for him and for Britain, for a prince to be saying, ‘We’ve got a shit government.’” Nikkhah says that King Charles is becoming increasingly exasperated by Harry’s actions, with a source saying: “The king brings Harry up every time I see him. I don’t think we’ve moved past sad and bewildered, but there’s a bit more frustration at his behavior, because it just keeps going.” A former courtier told Nikkhah: “I think he is seeking inner peace and this becomes the target—he thinks if he can bring the media to heel, it will cure his pain. Sadly, I don’t think it will. He’s still defending his mother. Nothing will take that pain away.” |
