Prince Harry discussed his difficulty communicating with his father, King Charles, during his highly anticipated ITV interview with Tom Bradby.
The sit-down took place ahead of the official release of the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, Spare, parts of which have leaked ahead of the publication date.
In the interview, Bradby suggested that Harry has two main criticisms of his father surrounding “intimacy and communication problems”.
“He’d always given an air of not being quite ready for parenthood: the responsibilities, the patience, the time,” Harry responded.
“Even he, though a proud man, would have admitted as much. But single parenthood? Pa was never made for that. To be fair, he tried.”
Bradby then cited a moment in the book where Harry recalls his father acknowledging his mental health problems.
A clip was played of Harry reading from his memoir: “Over dinner one night at Highgrove, Pa and I spoke at some length about what I’d been suffering. I gave him the particulars, told him story after story.
“Towards the end of the meal he looked down at his plate and said softly: ‘I suppose it’s my fault. I should have got you the help you needed years ago’. I assured him that it wasn’t his fault, but I appreciated the apology.”
Bradby suggested that the duke’s other main criticism of his father was that “too often your interests are sacrificed to his interests, certainly when it comes to the press”.
Harry said that while he has “a lot of compassion” and “understanding” as to why members of his family need a relationship with the tabloid press, he didn’t agree with it.
“There have been decisions that have happened on the other side that have been incredibly hurtful,” he said. “It hasn’t stopped. It’s continuing the whole way through.”
He added that he wants a reconciliation with his father but “first there needs to be some accountability”.
“You can’t just continue to say to me that I’m delusional and paranoid when all the evidence is stacked up,” he said, “because I was genuinely terrified about what’s gonna happen to me.”
The Independent has contacted palace representatives for comment.
A biographer has suggested that Harry’s memoir and his ongoing dispute with the royal family could mark “the beginning of the end of the monarchy”.
Catherine Mayer warned that the release of Spare is “not just a celebrity knockabout story” and said it instead threatens “the status of a significant institution”.
