Prince Harry’s latest media moves have yet again left the royals reeling – and led experts to question if he’ll ever cease attacking his heartbroken family.
WATCH BELOW: Prince William responds to Meghan and Harry’s explosive Oprah interview
Just as the dust had finally settled on the bombshell interview Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, gave to Oprah Winfrey, the Duke of Sussex doubled down during an appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast with actor Dax Shepard.
Harry, 36, spoke about the “pain and suffering” he experienced during his childhood and referenced a “cycle” of poor parenting within the royal family, one that he’s determined to break with his own children.
The shock interview was closely followed up by the first look at Harry’s Apple TV+ series, The Me You Can’t See, co-produced with Oprah Winfrey.
In a surprise move, the trailer for the mental health-themed series featured footage of Harry at his mother Princess Diana’s funeral.
Royal author Phil Dampier tells New Idea that Harry’s latest moves are evidence he’s hell-bent on “ploughing on with his agenda, even if it further damages his relationships with the Queen, Charles and William.”
“He is making a living by moaning about his mental health and chucking members of his family under a bus at a time when they are reeling from the death of Prince Philip,” says Dampier. “The timing could hardly be worse.”
Prince William and Duchess Kate, along with the rest of the royal family, are reportedly devastated and dejected over both Harry’s podcast interview and his Apple TV+ series.
The overall sentiment has changed from anger to sadness as it sinks in that Harry has betrayed them all over again.
“William and Harry have always had a pact – that no matter what happens, their memories of their mother are not for sale,” explains our royal insider.
“So to have Harry wheeling out Diana for a Hollywood docuseries is so bang out of order, William can hardly believe it. He thought that even with their differences in the past few years, their mum would remain sacred.”
It’s particularly upsetting given that many believed steps towards healing had been made when Harry reunited with his family at Prince Philip’s funeral last month.
As pictures emerged of Harry speaking privately with his older brother, there appeared to be a glimmer of hope that the family feud might be over.
However, it now appears Harry was merely in ceasefire mode out of respect for the Queen – and since returning home, he has resumed his course of betrayal.
“Any attempt to heal the rift at Prince Philip’s funeral now looks futile,” adds Dampier.
Royal expert Angela Levin says that Charles was “heartbroken” by Harry’s latest claims regarding his parenting.
“Harry is being so negative and ruthless about him,” says Levin. She adds that it’s a far cry from 2017 when the father and son appeared on a BBC Radio 4 interview and spoke “so warmly to each other.”
But Harry’s continuous rolling attacks against the royal family have not only saddened them – but left them at a loss on how to handle it.
“Harry’s standing with the royal family is at rock bottom, but what they’d like to do and what they can do are far apart,” says Levin.
Concerns about their conversations being leaked to the media have reportedly made the royals gun-shy, especially after Wills and Charles reached out to Harry following the Oprah interview – only for the conversations to be leaked in the US media.
There’s also concern that any conversations may serve as a trigger for future tirades from Prince Harry.
“It makes sense that they are not rushing to take irreversible action as he is fuelled with revenge, and anything the royals do could ignite more disloyalty,” says Levin.
While the family are upset about Harry’s hurtful claims, they’re also believed to be privately concerned about his long-term mental welfare if he is cut him off from them.
“[They] love Harry and don’t want to slam any doors,” explains Levin.
But after the latest events, Levin has grave doubts about whether their relationship with Harry will ever be repairable.
“Harry has crushed boundaries that he may regret in the future.”
Further to this, Dampier notes that the fact Harry has turned his mental health issues into a “money-making exercise” means he might not stop speaking ill of the royal family anytime soon.
“My concern for him is this: when he has exhausted himself talking about mental issues and his family, what is he going to do then?”
