Prince Harry is going to do what for the queen?
Did Harry just toss a hand grenade into the royal family dynamic?
That's what one royal expert thinks.
Find out why, right here!
Prince Harry stirred up speculation and outrage during his recent trip to the Invictus Games
for reasons that had nothing to do with the sporting events.
On his way there, he and Meghan Markle quietly met with Queen Elizabeth for a catch-up session
that seemed to hint at a family reconciliation.
Then, during an interview with Hoda Kotb for NBC's Today, the prince made a surprising
statement about his grandmother that begged another question: Did he just doom any hopes
for peace with the palace?
After assuring Kotb that the queen is in "great form" and that he made her laugh over their
cup of tea, Harry added a seemingly innocent line that's making a lot of people blow their
tops.
"I'm making sure she's protected and has the right people around her."
That sent the social media world into a tizzy as many wondered what Harry could possibly
do to protect his grandmother.
And from what?
Not surprisingly, one of the first shots fired at Harry came from Piers Morgan.
The controversial journalist has been critical of the Sussexes for years, once accusing them
of, quote, "yapping, whining, preaching and trashing [their] family" in a piece for the
Daily Mail.
This time around, he questioned how the prince could possibly "protect" his grandmother,
posing several sarcastic answers:
"By quitting Britain & moving 6000 miles away?
By trashing her family & institution on TV?
By snubbing Prince Philip's memorial?
By writing a book that will ruin her Platinum Jubilee?"
Royal experts had a lot to say on the topic.
On the program "GB News," royals author Robert Jobson expressed bewilderment at how it went
down, saying:
"I think for him to waltz in, leaving his Netflix crew at the door and talk about protecting
his grandmother is slightly bizarre."
Meanwhile, royal biographer Angela Levin wrote a scathing piece for The Sun, slamming the
Sussexes and saying,
"Everything is about money for them, and the new Today interview is just the latest attempt
to drum up interest in their celebrity Californian lives."
She went on to declare that Harry and Meghan "should be banned" from attending Queen Elizabeth's
Platinum Jubilee celebration in June.
The British talk show "This Morning" had a lively debate on the topic.
Although one host allowed that people "may be reading too much into it," another blasted
Harry's comment.
"Again, this kind of throw-away line which explodes because they are who they are and
they're talking about a family that is so important to this nation."
In an early Thursday edition of the Daily Mail, columnist Stephen Glover accused Harry
of ruining the queen's 96th birthday with his implication that Her Majesty isn't receiving
excellent care, writing:
"The truth is that, as he praised the queen and advertised his love for her, Harry tossed
another hand grenade into the royal family to follow those that have gone before."
Royal watchers on social media were also quick to condemn Prince Harry's statement.
One person tweeted:
"Prince Harry wants to 'protect' Queen and ensure [the] 'right people' are around her.
How kind.
The poor old dear has muddled through for the past 70 years but now everything will
be fine because Harry has come to the rescue."
Philanthropist and entrepreneur John Caudwell tweeted,
"He is now saying he wants to PROTECT the #Queen by surrounding her with the 'right
people'.
Surely, the people she most needs protecting from these days are Harry himself and his
wife Meghan."
Still others pointed out that the Sussexes moved to California because the constant attacks
from the British media were threatening their mental health.
If Harry couldn't protect his own wife from the safety of the palace, they asked, how
could he claim to be protecting the queen now, as a private citizen?
For all the Harry-bashing over his wish to protect his grandmother, there are still some
fans left in his corner.
Sean O'Grady, a columnist for The Independent, wrote,
"What you might call the usual suspects are hyperventilating because this youngish man
has the temerity to visit his grandmother."
And one supporter on Twitter cheered,
"It's Prince Harry's Grandma.
I would expect him to support her.
He may not like all her decisions but you can still support Granny.
You go Prince Harry."
For all the drama about Harry's remark, it seems unlikely that this will cause too much
tension between the queen and her grandson.
In his interview with Today, Harry said that he appreciates his grandmother's sense of
humor.
"We have a really special relationship.
We talk about things that she can't talk about with anybody else."
Reportedly, Queen Elizabeth has also invited Harry and Meghan to stand with the royals
on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during her Platinum Jubilee celebration in June.
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