Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, cries as she, Prince Harry, Queen Consort Camilla and King Charles attend the state funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth in London on September 19, 2022. Reuters
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, cries as she, Prince Harry, Queen Consort Camilla and King Charles attend the state funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth in London on September 19, 2022. Reuters
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, cries as she, Prince Harry, Queen Consort Camilla and King Charles attend the state funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth in London on September 19, 2022. Reuters
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, cries as she, Prince Harry, Queen Consort Camilla and King Charles attend the state funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth in London on September 19, 2022. Reuters

'Really horrible reaction' by royal family on day queen died, says Harry


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

There was a “really horrible reaction” among the royal family on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s death, Prince Harry has said.

He told ITV's Tom Bradby of how his family was “on the back foot” when the monarch died in September, and that he witnessed “leaking and planting”.

It was reported that he claimed in his memoir, Spare, that his wife Meghan was “not welcome” at Balmoral, and that the king told Prince Harry not to bring his wife.

Prince Harry said to his father: “Don’t ever speak about my wife that way,” according to The Telegraph.

Speaking about September 8, he told Bradby: “The day that she died was just a really, really horrible reaction from my family members.

“And then by all accounts, well certainly from what I saw and what other people probably experienced, was they were on the back foot and then the briefings and the leaking and the planting.

“I was like, ‘We’re here to celebrate the life of Granny and to mourn her loss. Can we come together as a family?’ But I don’t know how we collectively — how we change that.”

Prince Harry's ghost writer JR Moehringer - in pictures

  • JR Moehringer is the US writer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist who ghostwrote Prince Harry's memoir, Spare. Getty
    JR Moehringer is the US writer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist who ghostwrote Prince Harry's memoir, Spare. Getty
  • Spare was released globally on January 10
    Spare was released globally on January 10
  • Moehringer moved to Las Vegas to work on tennis star Andre Agassi's memoir
    Moehringer moved to Las Vegas to work on tennis star Andre Agassi's memoir
  • Moehringer said he turned Agassi down several times before agreeing to work with him on Open. Getty / AFP
    Moehringer said he turned Agassi down several times before agreeing to work with him on Open. Getty / AFP
  • Moehringer worked with Nike creator Phil Knight on his best-selling memoir, Shoe Dog
    Moehringer worked with Nike creator Phil Knight on his best-selling memoir, Shoe Dog
  • Moehringer's own memoir about his childhood growing up on Long Island is called The Tender Bar, which was made into a film
    Moehringer's own memoir about his childhood growing up on Long Island is called The Tender Bar, which was made into a film
  • George Clooney directed the Hollywood version of Moerhinger's memoir The Tender Bar. Ben Affleck starred in it as Uncle Charlie. AFP
    George Clooney directed the Hollywood version of Moerhinger's memoir The Tender Bar. Ben Affleck starred in it as Uncle Charlie. AFP
  • Moehringer with actor Daniel Ranieri, who played his younger self in the fictionalised film version of his memoir. AP
    Moehringer with actor Daniel Ranieri, who played his younger self in the fictionalised film version of his memoir. AP
  • From left, Affleck, Lily Rabe, Daniel, Tye Sheridan and Christopher Lloyd arrive at the premiere of The Tender Bar in Los Angeles. AP
    From left, Affleck, Lily Rabe, Daniel, Tye Sheridan and Christopher Lloyd arrive at the premiere of The Tender Bar in Los Angeles. AP
  • Rabe and Affleck played a fictionalised version of Moehringer's mother and uncle in The Tender Bar. AP
    Rabe and Affleck played a fictionalised version of Moehringer's mother and uncle in The Tender Bar. AP
  • Daniel and Affleck in a scene from The Tender Bar. AP
    Daniel and Affleck in a scene from The Tender Bar. AP

In the controversial tell-all book Spare, Prince Harry also recounts his final words to his grandmother when he visited her body at Balmoral.

“I whispered that I hoped she was happy and that she was with grandfather now," he said.

“I said that I admired her for having carried out her duties until the end: the jubilee, the welcoming of the new prime minister."

Updated: January 09, 2023, 5:29 AM