Prince Harry made a series of extraordinary claims about the late Queen Elizabeth during an interview in 2022, which left the Royal Family ‘reeling’Prince Harry made a series of extraordinary claims about the late Queen Elizabeth during an interview in 2022, which left the Royal Family ‘reeling’

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their Royal roles in 2020 and moved to California, they didn’t hold back in sharing their experiences of the inner workings of the Royal family, leading to a tense relationship with the Firm.

Their candid revelations ranged from their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 to Harry’s autobiography ‘Spare’ in 2023. The Sussexes frequently discussed their treatment within the Firm and what led them to leave, even when discussing unrelated topics such as their charity work.

A prime example occurred in 2022 when Harry attended the Invictus Games in the Netherlands. During an interview with NBC US breakfast show Today, the conversation quickly turned back to the Royal family.

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In his frank discussion with host Hoda Kotb, Harry disclosed that he and Meghan had made a brief stopover in the UK for a private tea with the late Queen Elizabeth on their way to the Netherlands.

The couple’s visit to Windsor Castle marked their first return to the UK since their departure from Royal duties in 2020, reports the Mirror.

Just days later in the interview, Harry asserted that it was his responsibility to ensure his beloved grandmother was “protected and got the right people around her”.

He went on to say it had been wonderful to encounter her “in some element of privacy”, remarking: “It was so nice to see her. She’s in great form. She’s always got a great sense of humour with me.”

The Duke also revealed that the late Queen would share confidences with him that she couldn’t discuss with “anybody else”.

In the wake of the remarkable interview and the Prince’s assertions about the late Queen, Harry was met with allegations of “breathtaking arrogance”, with critics claiming there were “no bounds to his self-delusion”. Royal commentator Tom Bower also penned in his publication Revenge that Harry’s remarks suggested ” King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince William and all of the Queen’s staff were inadequate for the task”.

As public worries mounted regarding the late Queen’s welfare following the interview, Harry’s observations also triggered an extraordinary response from Downing Street, who were compelled to reject his implication that the Queen required additional security measures.

When questioned about whether the Prime Minister had confidence in the existing arrangements to safeguard the Queen’s wellbeing, a spokesperson for Boris Johnson, who was Prime Minister at the time, was unequivocal in their reply: “Yes.”

Following Harry’s NBC interview, the Royal household moved to shield the Queen from additional conjecture as they marked what would prove to be the Monarch’s last birthday before her sad death in September of that year.