Prince Harry claims William and Charles are ‘trapped within the system’

‘They don’t get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that’

Samuel Osborne
Tuesday 09 March 2021 00:38 GMT
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Prince Harry says he feels 'let down' by Prince Charles

Prince Harry has claimed his Prince Charles and Prince William are “trapped” within the royal family.

The Duke of Sussex was asked during an interview with Oprah Winfrey whether he would have left the family if he had not met Meghan Markle.

“I wouldn’t have been able to, because I myself was trapped, as well. I didn’t see a way out. You know, I was trapped, but I didn’t know I was trapped.”

He then went on to use the same word to describe his father, Prince Charles, and his older brother, William.

He said: “My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that.”

The Duke of Sussex also revealed how his relationship with his father deteriorated so much last year that the heir to the throne refused to speak to him on the phone.

Harry said that their relationship worsened when Charles "stopped taking my calls" during the build-up to the announcement that he and Meghan were leaving the royal family, and said he felt "really let down" by his father.

The duke also expressed his desire to repair his relationship with William, following repeated claims the pair had fallen out.

Speaking about his father, Harry told Winfrey: "I feel really let down because he's been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like, (and) Archie's his grandson.

"But at the same time - I will always love him - but there's a lot of hurt that's happened and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.

In 2019, the rift in the royal family was laid bare when Harry said in an ITV documentary that he and William were on "different paths" and have good and bad days in their relationship.

But he signalled to Winfrey his aim to soothe any lingering tensions between himself and his brother, Harry's best man at his 2018 wedding.

"The relationship is space at the moment," he said, "and time heals all things, hopefully."

He added: "I love William to bits, he's my brother, we've been through hell together, we have a shared experience, but we were on different paths."

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