Solène Delinger with AFP 10:31 a.m., January 9, 2023
Prior to the release of his memoirs on January 10, Prince Harry gave interviews to English and American television.
The grandson of Queen Elizabeth II addresses several sensitive topics in it, including his rivalry with his big brother William and the accusations of racism against the royal family.
Anthology of his main declarations.
The rivalry with his brother William, the burial of his mother Diana, the desire to reconcile with his family: here is an anthology of the main declarations of Prince Harry during an interview on Sunday with the British channel ITV before the official publication of his book
The Substitute.
On why he wrote this book
Harry says he suffered "38 years ... of intentional distortion and manipulation", which led him to write his memoirs which he deemed "necessary" to establish "historical facts".
But nothing "was done with the intent to injure or harm" his father Charles III, his brother William or his family.
He needed to speak out because "some members have decided to ally with the devil to rehabilitate their image", at his expense and that of his family.
On his mother's funeral
Harry recalls the day of his mother Diana's funeral in 1997 when, aged 12, he walked behind her coffin.
"The rattle of the bridles (…) the hooves hitting the concrete and sometimes… the gravel underfoot and the cries of the crowd", he recalls.
"But otherwise, complete silence is something that will forever be (etched) in my memory."
He admits to having “cried only once, at his funeral”.
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On Diana's death
Harry said he read the secret government file on Diana's death, including redacted by his private secretary from the car crash photos.
He explains that, as an adult, he took the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, where Diana died.
"There are a lot of things that remain unexplained," he said.
"But I have already been asked if I wanted to open (...) another investigation. I don't really see the point at this stage".
On her relationship with her brother William
Harry talks about his long rivalry with his brother William, how they used to fight as kids, how William ignored him at school and even tried to get him to shave his beard before he married Meghan.
He accuses William of then naively believing the way British tabloids portrayed Meghan, which led to a physical altercation between the two brothers.
He says that William and Kate were however fans of the American series
Suits,
in which Meghan plays the main role.
But his brother and sister-in-law, he says, did not expect him to have a relationship with a mixed-race, divorced American actress.
“There have been a lot of stereotypes” about him that have “created an obstacle” to fully welcoming him into the family.
William, however, "never tried to dissuade him from marrying Meghan, but he expressed concerns," Harry said.
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On the royal family's allegations of racism
The Duke of Sussex denies he or Meghan accused the Royal Family of racism when one of its members questioned the skin color of their unborn child.
Rather, he speaks of "unconscious biases" that need to be tackled.
A recent incident, in which a close friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Susan Hussey, repeatedly asked a black British activist, Ngozi Fulani, where she was "really from" is one example, claims- he.
What he intends to achieve
Harry claims to believe "100%" that he can reconcile with his family, which could have a "domino effect around the world".
But he concedes he "doesn't think his father or brother will read the book".
On the future
Harry is now "in the right frame of mind" to have an awkward conversation with his family.
"It's been hard, I'm not going to lie," he said of the past few years, but "the reality is I've never been happier."