This story was originally posted on 04/24/22
Despite Prince Harry stopping over in the UK to visit The Queen in Windsor Castle on Thursday, April 14th, before flying to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games, he doesn’t seem to be making the same amount of effort for the rest of his family. The Duke of Sussex, 37, spoke openly about his love for his grandmother during his interview with Hoda Kotb, which aired on NBC on Wednesday, April 20th, but expertly swerved the question when the Today co-host asked him if he missed his brother and his father.
Kotb asked the Duke, “Do you miss your brother, your dad?” in reference to Prince William and Prince Charles. And he replied: “Look, I mean… at the moment, I’m here focused on these guys [referring to the Invictus Games] and these families and giving everything I can, 120% to them to make sure that they have the experience of a lifetime. That’s my focus here.” He then diverted the subject to his and Meghan’s family life in California, i.e., son Archie and daughter Lilibet, adding: “And when I leave here, I go back, and my focus is my family, who I miss massively. Of course I do. They’re two little people.”
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Well, it seems like two can play at that game, as Prince William, 39, has also avoided talking about his brother and the ongoing feud between them. When he and Kate Middleton, 40, visited the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) headquarters on Thursday, April 21st to find out about the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and learn more about the work that is being done in response of the crisis in Ukraine, the subject of Prince Harry's comments from Kotb's interview that aired the day before naturally came up. More specifically, the comment he made about Her Majesty being "protected" and him hoping she had the "right people around her."
A reporter asked both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, "Does The Queen need protecting?" as they were leaving the DEC; however neither of them responded, and proceeded to climb into their car in silence before leaving. So awkward!
This story was updated on 05/06/22 with the information below
The dignified silence route is usually the route the royals tend to go down, which is why Prince Harry's comments about The Queen being "protected" have been perceived as a huge snub to the family. Vanity Fair royal editor Katie Nicholl told the CBC's Karen Pauls that Prince Harry's comment "really seems a bit of a snub to William and Charles, who have very much stepped up to the plate and are supporting the Queen at the moment, and I think are quite antagonistic comments."
Toronto-based author and royal historian Carolyn Harris has also weighed in, and said in a recent interview following Prince Harry's talk with Kotb: "Harry's relationship with his family is intersecting with this larger scrutiny of the monarchy in transition. Though Harry's causes such as the Invictus Games do receive publicity, there's a great deal of press scrutiny of his relationship with his family: Will that relationship continue to be more distant? Will we see a rapprochement over time? Will Harry and Meghan participate in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations? Will their children come to England?"
As far as we are aware, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's attendance at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations are still unconfirmed, and it's currently unclear whether The Queen will get to meet her granddaughter Lilibet who coincidentally will be celebrating her first birthday during the jubilee weekend next month. Watch this space!
