Prince Philip reportedly had a strong opinion about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Oprah
Winfrey interview — and it was not positive. Official biographer and longtime friend, Gyles
Brandreth, claimed the Duke of Edinburgh said the royal couple's interview was "madness."
In a profile piece for the UK's Daily Mail, Brandreth wrote that Prince Philip believed
"no good would come of" the two-hour tell-all. He said,
"I know from someone close to him that he thought Meghan and Harry's interview with
Oprah Winfrey was 'madness' and 'no good would come of it.'"
Brandreth, who knew Prince Philip for 40 years, also suggested the duke's comments mirrored
his feelings when Princess Diana gave her infamous BBC interview. Brandreth wrote,
"I was not surprised because that is exactly how he described to me the personal TV interviews
given by Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, back in the 1990s."
The Sussex's explosive interview with the television veteran aired while Prince Philip
was hospitalized. However, Brandreth said, despite this, the duke was not upset by the
timing. Brandreth began,
"The fact that the Meghan and Harry interview was aired while Philip was in hospital did
not trouble him. What did worry him was the couple's preoccupation with their own problems
and their willingness to talk about them in public. 'Give TV interviews by all means,
'but don't talk about yourself.'"
But Philip was reportedly sympathetic to his grandson when it came to his distrust of the
media and encouraged him to "do his own thing in his own way."
While the Duke might have been unhappy with Prince Harry's extremely candid Oprah interview,
it has often been said the two had an "especially close bond." In a piece for the Daily Mail,
Brandreth wrote that Philip loved Harry and admired him for his service career — he
succeeded him as Captain General of the Royal Marines in 2017 — and thought he was "a
good man."
The Duke of Edinburgh will have a small, private funeral at Windsor Castle on April 17th, 2021,
with Prince Harry in attendance. The royal recently arrived in Britain from his home
base in Los Angeles without pregnant wife Meghan Markle, who was advised to remain in
the US during her third trimester.
Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major told the BBC that, despite Harry's decision
to reunite with his family being on compassionate grounds, it is "an ideal opportunity" to mend
royal rifts. Major said,
"They shared emotion. They share grief at the present time because of the death of their
grandfather. I think [this] is an ideal opportunity. I hope very much that it is possible to mend
any rifts that may exist."
Prior to Page Six claiming Prince Philip described his grandson Prince Harry and granddaughter-in-law
Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey as "madness," the duke's son and Harry's father,
Prince Charles, reportedly wanted to hit back at all the allegations "point by point" in
what could have been a long retort. Royal expert Katie Nicholl claimed in March 2021
that Charles was pushing for a more detailed response than the somewhat brief statement
Buckingham Palace issued.
Nicholl claimed to Entertainment Tonight,
"My understanding is that Prince Charles did want to issue a more detailed statement [in
response] to the Oprah interview and possibly address some of those issues point by point."
However, it was said to have been decided the shorter comment would be the better idea
because
"Going at things point by point could be potentially more damaging and give more ammunition for
the row to continue. [...] Prince Charles and Prince William were keen to correct some
of the things that the couple had said."
Aside from the royal family's initial statement and quotes from sources, the royals have stayed
pretty quiet about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey. Harry's
brother Prince William is the only senior royal to make any kind of comment in person
during a public appearance on March 12th, 2021, when asked by Sky News about the claims
that Archie's skin color was discussed. He famously replied,
"We are very much not a racist family."
As for why that titbit is all fans have heard in person from the royals, that's because
Queen Elizabeth II was said to be very much against anyone making further comment. Us
Weekly claimed in March 2021 that the monarch reportedly insisted "that the royals handle
the matter privately" because she thought "retaliating will only add fuel to the fire
and make the situation worse." Insiders claim William has had the most difficulty not speaking
out because he wanted to defend his wife, Kate Middleton, against Meghan's claims that
Kate made her cry. Philip’s funeral will be the first time the brothers have met in
person since the explosive interview.