LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Harry has given a series of television interviews ahead of the official release of his memoir “Spare” in which he gives intimate personal details and reveals discord and conflict within the British royal family.
Here are some of the quotes from an interview with Tom Bradby of Britain’s ITV aired on Sunday:
Why do the book?
“There was a motto, a family motto of ‘never complain, never explain’. And what people have realized now … is that was just a motto. There was a lot of complaining and there was a lot of explaining and it continues now.
“If it had stopped, by the point that I fled my home country with my wife and my son fearing for our lives, then maybe this would’ve turned out differently.”
On his mother’s death in Paris car crash:
“There’s a lot of things that are unexplained. But I’ve been asked before whether I want to open up another inquiry. I don’t really see the point at this stage.”
On his relationship with his family and the press:
“Certain members have decided to get in the bed with the devil (tabloid press) … to rehabilitate their image.
“But the moment that that rehabilitation comes at the detriment of others, me, other members of my family, then that’s where I draw the line.”
On Charles’s second wife Camilla, the Queen Consort:
“William and I wanted our father to be happy and he seemed to be very, very happy with her. We asked him not to get married. He chose to. That’s his decision. But the two of them were and remain very happy together.”
On a reconciliation:
“Forgiveness is 100% a possibility because I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back. At the moment, I don’t recognise them, as much as they probably don’t recognise me.”
On William and wife Kate meeting Meghan:
“There was a lot of stereotyping that was happening … American actress, right, and that was playing out in the British press. Some of the things that my brother and sister-in-law – some of the way that they were acting or behaving definitely felt to me as though unfortunately that stereotyping was causing a bit of a barrier to them really … introducing or welcoming her in.”
On William knocking him down in argument at Harry’s London home:
“Me and William, like I guess a lot of siblings, or maybe not, William and I used to fight all the time.
“What was different here was this level of frustration and, you know, I talk about the red mist that I had for so many years, and I saw this red mist in him.”
On events around death of queen:
“In my mind – and I think globally people felt the same, was a really good opportunity to bring the family together.
“But the day that she died was just a really, really horrible reaction from my family members.”
How does he defend the level of disclosure?
“The level of planting and leaking from other members of the family means that in my mind they have written countless books, certainly millions of words have been dedicated to trying to trash my wife and myself to the point of where I had to leave my country.”
On reconciliation:
“It almost feels as though this status quo, internally, they feel as though it’s better to keep us somehow as the villains. I genuinely believe, and I hope, that reconciliation between my family and us will have a ripple effect across the entire world. Maybe that’s lofty, maybe that’s naive, whatever. But I genuinely feel that.
“You know, silence only allows the abuser to abuse. Right?”
On his legal action against certain newspapers:
“One might assume that a lot of this, from their perspective, is retaliation, and trying to intimidate me to settle, rather than take it to court and potentially may have to shut down.
“My father said to me that it was probably a suicide mission to try and change – to try and change the press.”
On columnist Jeremy Clarkson saying he hated Meghan on a cellular level:
“What he said was horrific and is hurtful and cruel towards my wife, but it also encourages other people around the UK and around the world, men particularly, to go and think that it’s acceptable to treat women that way.”
On a recent race row involving William’s godmother:
“Meghan and I love Susan Hussey. She (Meghan) thinks she’s great.”
Will he attend the coronation in May?
“There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. But, you know, the door is always open. The – the ball is in their court.”
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Paul Simao)
