Prince Harry's latest interview discussing royal reconciliation highlights a major contradiction in the Sussex strategy—supporting the couple's projects inevitably generates stories that risk undermining royal healing. The Duke of Sussex did a sit-down with GQ Magazine to promote a discussion on grief that he released through MasterClass, a paid-for online education platform. Newsweek understands Harry was paid by MasterClass.
The magazine's senior special projects editor Zach Baron asked the prince whether he grieves for his relationship with his family. Harry said reconciliation was the most important thing before adding: "Some people don't want it to work out. I want it to work out." However, the comment sparked a backlash in Britain as some news organizations interpreted his words as a veiled swipe at Prince William, which Harry's spokesperson denied to Newsweek.
The saga highlights the longstanding struggle the Sussexes have had with balancing the need to promote their projects with the restraint required to pursue royal peace. "If you want to build trust in the family the last thing you do is go on GQ and talk about the family in a way that is going to injure trust," Eric Schiffer, the chair of Reputation Management Consultants, told Newsweek. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to Britain after six years spent pursuing careers as TV producers in California.
In the U.K., they have been undertaking charity visits of the kind they did when they were working royals, sparking a debate about whether they might want their old palace jobs back. However, Harry is not on speaking terms with his brother Prince William, who is the direct heir to the throne and is understood to be opposed to any prospect of a Sussex return. Harry's GQ interview was mostly about grief, and he would have been well prepared for the questions about losing his mother, Princess Diana.
However, Baron pivoted to the headline-grabbing subject of the royal rift through a deft slight of hand, asking the prince about the grief of losing the relationship with William and Charles. The prince could have declined to answer but, for the most part, tends to respond to whatever questions come his way in interviews such as this one. With everything else that's going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile—that's the key point.” "Just when you think that Harry's gotten the memo, he goes and creates another self-inflicted wound," Schiffer said.
"If you want to build trust with family who don't trust you and think you're unworthy of trust, you certainly don't broadcast it in a GQ article that says look at me and tries to work on his image. Do you want a relationship with your father and your brother or do you want to try to stop the bleed out of reputational challenges? And if he's going to focus on his reputation then he has to keep his mouth shut with his family.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
