Palace sources brand timing of Harry’s US TV appearance ‘unhelpful’

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Prince Harry’s ‘unhelpful’ decision to pour his heart out to James Corden has already caused ‘disquiet’ at Buckingham Palace after the Queen’s grandson insisted he and Meghan Markle ‘never walked away’ from the royal family by emigrating to Los Angeles – and blamed the media for driving him from the UK.

The Duke of Sussex said the move to California last year was about ‘stepping back rather than stepping down’ as royals as he appeared on The Late Late Show with Mr Corden, who has gazumped Oprah Winfrey to the exclusive 17-minute interview with his British friend. 

The Duchess of Sussex also makes a brief appearance on the show during a FaceTime call, revealing her pet name for Harry is ‘Haz’, while her husband calls her ‘Meg’ throughout and reveals that his grandmother bought their son Archie a waffle maker for Christmas.

And in another extraordinary moment Harry raps the theme tune to The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air outside the mansion where it was filmed before the royal and Mr Corden head off to complete a muddy army assault course together, ferried around LA on an open-top tour bus serving afternoon tea.

But critics have questioned the timing of his ‘prancing’ TV appearance, released last night just as the Queen gave a rare public statement encouraging all Britons to ‘think about others’ and have the Covid-19 jab.

Palace sources told MailOnline the timing of Harry’s TV appearance is ‘unhelpful, and has caused ‘disquiet’ at the palace, especially with Prince Philip spending his 11th day in hospital battling a nasty infection.  ‘When the Queen speaks as she has done about the vaccine it is accepted that she has a clear field’, the insider said.

Others watching the film, where Harry complains about the ‘toxic’ media attention he received in the UK during a TV interview watched by millions, urged him on social media to ‘stop bl**dy whining’ and ‘re-writing history’. 

The prince was also accused of ‘ignoring’ the multi-million dollar deals he and his wife have signed with Spotify and Netflix, with Harry even praising the streaming giant’s The Crown, despite its negative portrayal of his family, including his parents Charles and Diana. 

Royal expert Robert Jobson, a biographer of Prince Charles and the Duke of Edinburgh, said: ‘Timing is everything isn’t it. On the day that the Queen has issued a very, very important message about the whole of the nation getting the jab, that message has sort of been blurred by Harry, the man who wants a private life, talking about his private life again’. 

Royal expert Phil Dampier said: ‘As The Queen urges us to think of others, Prince Harry prances about in LA and makes the absurd claim that he hasn’t walked away from the royals. What planet is he on? Hollywood I suppose.’ While commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘What is ‘Haz’ thinking of, appearing on this sort of show and making an idiot of himself? He reveals the Queen gave Archie a waffle maker for Christmas. Waffle is what he does. The script is puerile. It’s nauseating to watch, all 17 minutes of it.’

In the interview Harry also reveals:   

• He knew that Meghan was ‘the one’ on the second date said they ‘went from 0-60 in two months’ before going public in 2017; 
• He speaks about his ‘usual night in’ where the couple ‘do Archie’s tea, give him a bath, read him a book and put him down’. He adds: ‘Meg might order a meal or get a takeaway. Then we go up to bed, turn on the TV and watch Jeopardy or Netflix’.
• Archie’s first word was ‘crocodile’ and the Queen sent him a waffle maker as a gift, which the family use most days using Meghan’s ‘organic mix’;
• Harry admits he’s seen The Crown, shown on Netflix where the Sussexes will be making films, and defends it despite the negative light it paints of the Queen, his parents and other senior royals. He says: ‘It’s loosely based on the truth. Of course it’s not strictly accurate but it loosely it gives you an idea of that lifestyle and the pressures of putting duty and service above everything else and what can come from that’. 
• The Queen and Prince Philip have worked out how to use Zoom to speak to their grandson and great-grandson – but the Duke of Edinburgh , who is now in hospital, doesn’t know how to end the call so he just slams down the laptop’s lid;
• Oprah boasts her bombshell interview with Harry and Meghan is ‘the best she has ever done’ according to best pal Gayle King, hours after being gazumped by James Corden;

Prince Harry decided to open up to James Corden about his relationship with Meghan, his son Archie and their decision to quit as frontline royals, saying the pressure of being in London was ‘destroying my mental health’, branding Britain’s media ‘toxic’. 

Describing the couple’s decision he said: ‘It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down. It was a really difficult environment, which I think a lot of people saw. So I did what any father or husband would do and thought: ‘How do I get my family out of there’. But we never walked away’.

And while the interview was carried out before the Queen stripped the Sussexes of their royal patronages last week, Harry appears to know what was coming and says: ‘My life is public service, so wherever I am in the world it’s going to be the same thing. As far as I’m concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side [in Britain], I will never walk away’. 

The royals have already been warned to ‘hide behind the sofa’ when the Sussexes’ incendiary interview with Oprah is broadcast on Sunday March 7, with experts saying the Late Show appearance suggests the 90-minute CBS show will focus much more on Meghan.

In a wide-ranging chat mostly carried out on an open-top bus, an off the leash Harry also reveals that he has had Zoom calls with Prince Philip and Queen, who sent Archie a waffle maker for Christmas, and describes his son as ‘hysterical’, claiming his first word was ‘crocodile’. He also says he knew Meghan was ‘the one’ after two dates, describing their relationship as ‘0-60 in two months’. 

In one extraordinary moment Harry raps the theme tune to The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air outside the mansion where it was filmed, before Corden video calls Meghan, who calls her husband ‘Haz’ and tells him not to buy it because she’s ‘done moving’. Harry then pops inside to use the toilet before the friends head off to complete a muddy army assault course together. 

The Queen, who speaks to the PM Boris Johnson every week, is speaking out to give the vaccination programme added support.

Other members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles and Prince William, are expected to follow suit.

But the fact that Harry, who was criticised for his ‘petulant’ and ‘rude’ swipe at the Queen when he said duty was ‘universal’ after the Megxit announcement, has appeared on TV talking about his private life just when the Queen made an historic intervention on Covid-19 shows the lack of coordination.

One senior source said, ‘This blurring of the lines doesn’t help anyone. When the Queen speaks like this it is her message that should be heard without other distractions. This lack of coordination is unhelpful.’ 

The Late Show appearance came hours after the Queen has made a historic intervention in the coronavirus vaccination drive, suggesting it is selfish not to have the jab.

In a video call with NHS officials in charge of the rollout, she encouraged those with doubts to ‘think about other people rather than themselves’.

The 94-year-old monarch said her jab last month ‘didn’t hurt at all’ and had made her ‘feel protected’. Likening Covid to a plague, she said it was remarkable how quickly the inoculation programme had been put into action, helping ‘so many people’.

A senior royal source said: ‘It is a passionately held belief that people need to get out there [and get vaccinated] – this is important.’

Critics say Harry’s appearance will water down her message. 

Royal expert Robert Jobson told BBC Breakfast: ‘Well he seems in a very chirpy mood, very happy. All this talk about him being unhappy in LA doesn’t seem to be true. He’s talking candidly and James Corden’s asking the right questions.

‘But unfortunately, everything’s in timing, isn’t it? Just on the day that the queen has issued a very, very important message about the whole of the nation getting the jab, and her, and she feels it’s people’s duty to go and get it, that message has sort of been blurred a little bit again by Harry, the man who wants a private life, talking about his private life again.

‘I’m sure there’s just a lack of co-ordination here, but that’s half of the problem I think. The reality is I’m sure the Royal Family will be speaking about the vaccination going forward, giving a clear message and duty they’ve got, and Harry seems hell bent talking about his private life.

‘Look, move on, you’ve got what you want, you’ve moved away to LA, but then you can’t have your cake and eat it.

‘You can’t be sitting there clashing with the Queen, when the Queen says something very important, and she speaks only rarely, it’s a very significant thing that she’s saying in co-ordination, I’m sure, with Boris Johnson and the Government. She needs a clear field.

‘To be fair to Harry, this is probably an accident the way it’s happened, but yet again it happens, clashes with the Queen, and as a result her message will be diluted.’

Royal photographer Arthur Edwards, who has known Harry since he was a child, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain he was ‘surprised’ by the prince saying he’d faced a ‘toxic’ time with the media, saying he had a good relationship with him until Meghan arrived.

‘I don’t know where ‘toxic’ has come from,’ he said.

‘When I worked with him all those years, he engaged with the media – we used to have a drink, on every tour we’d go to the pub and he used to get everything off his chest and you’d get everything off your chest.

‘It’s only when he met Meghan that stopped.

‘He never interacted with us again.’

The 17-minute film begins with James Corden pulling up outside Harry’s mansion in an open -top bus, which Harry admits he’s never been on. 

After Corden told him to pay the fare before jumping on the bus, Harry quipped ‘you know us royals, we don’t carry cash’ and said it was his first time on an open-top bus because ‘we’re not really allowed to’.

Once settled in on the top deck,, the Duke of Sussex speaks about family life, revealing that son Archie’s first word was ‘crocodile’ and the Queen gave the one-year-old a waffle maker for Christmas.

Corden served him afternoon tea while pointing out celebrity homes, including what he claimed were those of Friends star David Schwimmer and Die Hard actor Bruce Willis.

But moments later the bus braked heavily and the dinner wagon holding the tea jolted into Prince Harry – who swore in shock – before he spat his drink out while laughing. 

During a visit to the house that featured on 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, Harry rapped the famous theme song, which was originally performed by Will Smith.

Corden tried to convince him to buy the sprawling mansion before Harry went inside to use the bathroom.

They then video called Meghan, who in response to Corden’s suggestion they buy the house, quipped ‘I think we’ve done enough moving’.

She then asked ‘Haz’ how his tour of Los Angeles was going but he called Corden ‘the worst tour guide in LA’. 

Back on board the buss Harry addressed the controversy over The Crown’s portrayal of his family’s history and defended the Netflix regal drama, saying it does not ‘pretend to be news’.

Asked by Corden who he would like to see play him, Harry mistakenly referred to the red-headed Homeland actor as “Daniel Lewis”, before Corden corrected him and told him Lewis would be a “great shout”, joking that he could play the Duke of Cambridge.

Bookmaker Coral now has Lewis, 50, at 2-1 to play Harry in any future series of The Crown. 

He said both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh can use Zoom and have seen Archie ‘running around’ in California.

In a segment for The Late Late Show, filmed before he and the Duchess of Sussex confirmed they will not be returning as working members of the royal family, Harry joined TV host Corden for a double-decker bus tour of Los Angeles.

Asked by Corden how he sees his life after lockdown, Harry, 36, said: ‘My life is always going to be about public service and Meghan signed up to that.’

On the decision to walk away from the royal family, he said it ‘was never walking away, it was stepping back rather than stepping down’.

He added that it was a ‘really difficult environment’ and criticised the press, saying it was ‘destroying my mental health’.

Harry said he needed to move his family away but insisted: ‘I will never walk away, I will always be contributing. My life is public service.’ 

The duke also spoke about his early relationship with Meghan, 39.

He said dating for him or any member of the royal family is ‘flipped upside down’, telling Corden that early dates take place at home and only when they are a couple do they venture out in public.

‘We got to spend an enormous amount of time just the two of us,’ he said of his early relationship with Meghan. ‘There were no distractions, and that was great, it was an amazing thing. We went from zero to 60 in the first two months.’

Asked what a ‘regular night in’ for the couple is like, Harry said they may make Archie’s tea, give him a bath and read him a book before he and Meghan spend time together.

He said they may watch game show Jeopardy! or something on Netflix.

Asked what he thinks about The Crown, Harry replied: ‘They don’t pretend to be news, it’s fictional but it’s loosely based on the truth.

‘Of course it’s not strictly accurate, but, loosely, it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.

‘I am way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife or myself.’

He said The Crown is ‘obviously fiction’ whereas he has a ‘real issue’ with some of the stories written about him.

Harry joked that he would want Homeland star Damian Lewis to play him.

The segment opened with Corden telling the duke to pay the fare before jumping on the bus. Harry quipped: ‘You know us royals – we don’t carry cash.’

Corden served him afternoon tea while pointing out celebrity homes, including what he claimed were those of Friends star David Schwimmer and Die Hard actor Bruce Willis.

During a visit to the house that featured in 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, Harry rapped the famous theme song, which was originally performed by Will Smith.

Corden tried to convince him to buy the sprawling mansion before the duke went inside to use the bathroom.

The pair then video-called Meghan, who, in response to Corden’s suggestion they buy the house, joked: ‘I think we’ve done enough moving.’

She then asked ‘Haz’ how his tour of Los Angeles was going, and he said Corden was ‘the worst tour guide in LA’.

Harry and a reluctant Corden also tackled an assault course, with the TV host complaining about getting dirty.

Harry and Meghan will appear in a US primetime TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, which is set to be broadcast on March 7.

The couple are expected to discuss their life in America.

Harry’s TV appearance came as his grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh began his 11th day in hospital where he is being treated for an infection ahead of the start of the weekend.

Buckingham Palace’s last update on Prince Philip, 99, was on Tuesday and said he was ‘comfortable’ and ‘responding to treatment’.

His son Prince Edward has also said this week Philip was ‘a lot better’ but ‘looking forward to getting out’ with the Royal Family were keeping their ‘fingers crossed’. 

The Earl of Wessex thanked well-wishers for their messages of support as it was announced on Tuesday that Philip would spend ‘several days’ more in hospital. 

He was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London last Tuesday evening as a precautionary measure after feeling unwell, and walked into the building unaided.

This is the longest amount of time he has spent in hospital since June 2013 when he had an exploratory operation on his abdomen.  

Philip was initially due to spend a few days under medical care for ‘observation and rest’, but last Friday it emerged he was likely to remain in hospital into this week.  

Prince Harry reveals Archie’s first word was ‘crocodile’, the Queen sent the toddler a waffle maker for Christmas and that his nightly routine involves ‘tea’, a bath and a bedtime story

The Duke of Sussex has revealed his son Archie’s first word was ‘crocodile’ and the Queen sent him a waffle maker for Christmas, during a chat with James Corden.

Prince Harry also told the comedian that the nightly routine for his ‘hysterical’ 21-month-old son with wife Meghan Markle involves ‘tea’, a bath and a bedtime story.

And the Duke revealed in a segment for The Late Late Show that Archie has the ‘most amazing personality’ and is already putting four words together and singing songs. 

Harry, who now lives in a £11million mansion in California after stepping down as a senior royal last year, told Corden: ‘My son is now just over a year and a half.

‘He is hysterical, he’s got the most amazing personality. He’s already putting three, four words together, he’s already singing songs.’

Asked what Archie’s first word was, Harry said: ‘Crocodile, three syllables.’ And Corden replied: ‘Crocodile? That’s a big word.’

Harry went on: ‘Interesting, my grandmother asked us what Archie wanted for Christmas, and Meg said a waffle maker. She sent us a waffle maker for Archie.

‘Breakfast now, Meg makes up a beautiful organic mix. In the waffle maker, flip it, out it comes. He loves it. And now I have waffles for breakfast.

‘A bit of yoghurt, a bit of jam on top, I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do. A bit of berries, maybe, a bit of honey, a bit of syrup.’

But Corden pointed out: ‘Sorry, you’re glossing over the fact that I cannot for the life of me imagine the Queen ordering a waffle maker to be sent to Santa Barbara. I can’t get my head around…’

Harry responded: ‘I don’t even know how to comment on that. Archie wakes up in the morning and literally just goes: Waffle? Done.’

Asked about a normal night in, Harry said: ‘Depending on how the day’s been, how busy it’s been, we’ll do Archie’s tea, give him a bath, read him a book, put him down.

‘Go downstairs, Meg might cook a meal, might order a takeaway. Go upstairs, sit in bed, turn the TV on and watch some Jeopardy, maybe watch a little bit of Netflix.’ 

Meghan Markle calls her husband ‘Haz’ and shows off California chic in blue smocked dress and flowing hair as she joins Prince Harry’s interview with James Corden on FaceTime

Meghan Markle revealed her nickname for Prince Harry is Haz during an appearance alongside her husband on The Late Late Show with James Corden. 

The Duke, 36, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, who are currently living in their $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara, both appeared on the programme yesterday as the presenter offered Prince Harry a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles.

In one extraordinary moment the Duchess appears on FaceTime to tell the presenter they won’t buy the Fresh Prince of Bel Air mansion because they have ‘done enough moving’, before asking: ‘Haz, how is the tour of LA going?’

The Duchess opted to wear a $29 soft blue smocked dress from local boutique Velvet Torch, with a matching blue heptagon shaped pendant necklace, for the appearance.

During the appearance, the presenter joked with Prince Harry about buying the mansion from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, before calling Meghan to discuss it.

After finding Meghan under ‘M’ within Prince Harry’s phone, the presenter proceeded to call the royal, who told the duo they’d not be moving because ‘they’ve done enough moving.’

The couple briefly moved into Frogmore Cottage during Meghan’s first pregnancy with Archie in 2019, before spending months in Canada in November 2019.

They then proceeded to move to Los Angeles in the spring of 2020, where they lived in Tyler Perry’s house for several months, before finally settling at their own $14 million mansion last summer.  

Meanwhile after Meghan revealed her nickname for Prince Harry, James teased the royal over the moniker, saying: ‘Haz, oh Haz, I didn’t know we were calling you Haz now?’

Prince Harry responded: ‘Well you’re not my wife.’  

Appearing on the call, Meghan opted for low-key makeup with dark eyeliner and a hint of blusher across her cheeks.  

The royal donned a soft blue smocked gown for the appearance, which is believed to be from local LA boutique Velvet Torch.

Online, the gown is described as featuring a ‘smocked bodice’ which adds ‘figure hugging style’ to an ‘on-trend puff sleeve dress’.

Meanwhile she wore her long flowing hair down around her face in loose waves. 

Days ago, celebrity hairstylist James Johnson told FEMAIL Meghan’s lengthy locks would likely have been achieved with the help of clip-in extensions, adding that the Duchess had had a ‘Hollywood makeover’. 

He explained: ‘I think a lot of us are feeling the need for a re-vamp, perhaps this is the image she’s always wanted to look like.’

Battle of the Sussex sit-downs: Oprah boasts her bombshell interview with Harry and Meghan is ‘the best she has ever done’ according to best pal Gayle King, hours after the prince’s no-holds-barred chat with James Corden

Oprah Winfrey says her interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is ‘the best she has ever done’, her best friend Gayle King revealed in a thinly-veiled attempt to claw back public interest in the sit-down amid intense coverage of the Duke’s appearance on James Corden’s Late Late Show. 

According to Gayle, 66, who is an anchor for CBS, the network that broadcasts Corden’s show, and will air Oprah’s primetime interview with Meghan and Harry next month, made the comments on This Morning on Friday, while reporting on the Duke of Sussex’s Late Late Show segment. 

After detailing the many revelations shared during the interview with Corden – which took place in Los Angeles before Oprah’s sit-down with Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, was filmed – Gayle reminded viewers about her friend’s own chat with the Sussexes, saying: ‘We want to remind you that Harry and Meghan are talking to Oprah. 

‘It’s their first major broadcast interview since giving up their senior royal duties.’

After detailing the date and time of the broadcast, Gayle continued: ‘I’ve heard from reliable sources, this is Oprah talking, that it’s the best interview she’s ever done so I’m curious. That’s saying something.’  

It is the second on-air promotion that Gayle has done for her long-time pal – having already revealed on February 16 that Oprah had been given permission to ask Harry and Meghan ‘anything she wanted’ and that ‘nothing was off limits’ during the interview. 

The news likely sparked fresh fears for Buckingham Palace over what embarrassing revelations could come to light – particularly in the wake of the Queen’s decision to remove the couple’s remaining royal patronages and honorary titles, a move that prompted the Sussexes to bite back in a petty public statement.  

‘This is a big deal,’ Gayle said last Wednesday – one day before Harry and Meghan reportedly began taping their two-day interview with Oprah. 

‘I know Oprah has been working on the questions all weekend long, I’m told that nothing is off limits. She can ask anything she wants.’

‘Archie must be GENIUS!’: People aren’t convinced after Prince Harry claims his son’s first word was ‘crocodile’ – as others doubt the Duke spent his youth watching the Fresh Prince after ‘cringey’ rap routine

Social media users have raised doubts over Prince Harry’s claim that his son Archie’s first word was ‘crocodile.’  

During a chat with James Corden, when asked what Archie’s first word was, the Duke of Sussex said: ‘Crocodile, three syllables.’  

Corden replied: ‘Crocodile? That’s a big word.’

But critics appear baffled, with some demanding ‘proof’ that 21-month-old Archie can say the three-syllable word. 

Harry also revealed how Archie was able to put ‘three, four words together,’ adding, ‘he’s already singing songs.’ 

Some people on social media have also been left unimpressed by Harry’s rendition of The Fresh Prince rap, which he performed during the extraordinary Late Late Show interview.   

Prince Harry also told the comedian that the nightly routine for his 21-month-old son with wife Meghan Markle involves ‘tea’, a bath and a bedtime story.   

And the Duke revealed in a segment for The Late Late Show that Archie has the ‘most amazing personality’ and is already putting four words together and singing songs.

Harry, 36, who now lives in a £11million mansion in California after stepping down as a senior royal last year, told Corden: ‘My son is now just over a year and a half.

‘He is hysterical, he’s got the most amazing personality. He’s already putting three, four words together, he’s already singing songs.’

But the chat sparked debate online, with some social media users questioning the Duke’s claims about Archie’s first word. 

One wrote: ‘I want to hear Prince Archie saying ‘crocodile”, while another tweeted: ‘No way was crocodile his first word.’ 

 

Prince Harry reveals his grandfather Prince Philip, 99, DOES know how to use Zoom – but simply slams shut his laptop to end calls instead of pressing leave – in interview recorded before Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to hospital

Prince Harry has revealed that his grandfather Prince Philip does know how to use Zoom – but simply slams shut his laptop to end calls instead of pressing the Leave button.

The Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen have called the Sussexes a ‘few times’ and even seen Archie ‘running around’, said Harry. 

His comments came as part of a wide-ranging chat mostly carried out during an open-top bus tour of Los Angeles with The Late Late Show host James Corden.

In one extraordinary moment Harry raps the theme tune to The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air outside the mansion where it was filmed, before Corden video calls Meghan Markle, who calls her husband ‘Haz’.

The Duke of Sussex also opened up to James about his relationship with Meghan, his son Archie and their decision to quit as frontline royals, saying the pressure of being in London was ‘destroying his mental health’, branding Britain’s media ‘toxic’. 

The rare TV interview was recorded before Prince Philip, 99, was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London, where he is being treated for an infection and today begins his 11th day.  

Responding to whether the Queen knows how to use Zoom, Prince Harry said: ‘Yes, both my grandparents do. 

‘They have zoomed a few times, they have seen Archie running around.

‘But my grandfather, instead of pressing leave meeting he just goes [Harry pretends to close laptop].

‘I am like ‘bye’ as I’m pressing – and he just goes [imitates closing laptop].’

Netflix employee Prince Harry defends The Crown and says it captures the ‘pressure’ faced by royals to ‘put duty and service above everything’ – and says he’d like Damian Lewis to play him on screen 

Prince Harry has defended Netflix‘s The Crown, saying it gives a ‘good idea’ of the pressures faced by members of the Royal Family. 

The Duke of Sussex, 36, shared his feelings on the Netflix show – which has come under fire over its unflattering portrayal of the royals, including the Queen and Prince Charles – on The Late Late Show with James Corden. 

Harry said The Crown is ‘loosely based on the truth’ and captures the feeling of being expected to put ‘duty and service above everything else’.

Harry and wife Meghan Markle, 39, last year signed a content deal with Netflix, the creators of The Crown, thought to be worth £100million.  

Harry added he would like Homeland actor Damian Lewis to play him if his character ever appears on the show as an adult. 

‘They don’t pretend to be news, it’s fictional,’ Prince Harry said of The Crown. ‘But it’s loosely based on the truth. 

‘Of course it’s not strictly accurate but it loosely it gives you an idea of that lifestyle and the pressures of putting duty and service above everything else and what can come from that.

‘I’m way more comfortable about The Crown than the stories I see written about my family, my wife or myself because there’s a difference between that’s obviously fiction, take it how you will – but this is reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news.’

Think about others rather than yourselves’: The Queen makes passionate plea over vaccine take-up as she says jab ‘didn’t hurt at all’ and suggests those refusing it are selfish

The Queen has made a historic intervention in the coronavirus vaccination drive, suggesting it is selfish not to have the jab.

In a video call with NHS officials in charge of the rollout, she encouraged those with doubts to ‘think about other people rather than themselves’.

The 94-year-old monarch said her jab last month ‘didn’t hurt at all’ and had made her ‘feel protected’. Likening Covid to a plague, she said it was remarkable how quickly the inoculation programme had been put into action, helping ‘so many people’.

A senior royal source said: ‘It is a passionately held belief that people need to get out there [and get vaccinated] – this is important.’

It is highly unusual for the sovereign to take such a firm public stand on contentious issues and her remarks will be seen as a victory for efforts to increase take-up. An NHS vaccine chief said it was an ‘incredibly important vote of confidence’ in the programme. 

More than 18million Britons – one in three adults – have had at least one jab. Another 448,962 were given first doses on Wednesday.

But officials are concerned that ‘vaccine hesitancy’ could still undermine the rollout and even slow down the easing of lockdown restrictions.

They estimate that around 15 per cent of the population will not take up the offer of a jab, with scepticism highest among the young and minority ethnic groups.

The NHS has been working with community leaders and church groups to try to alleviate some of these fears with seminars and Q&A sessions.

The Queen was speaking during a WebEx video call with the four ‘senior responsible officers’ leading the deployment of Covid-19 vaccination across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Emily Lawson, who is leading the vaccine deployment programme for the NHS in England, told the monarch: ‘We hope everyone who is offered the vaccine will take it up, because it is our best chance to protect both the people who take up the vaccine, their families and their communities.’

In reply, the Queen suggested it was selfish for people not to have the jab if offered one, saying: ‘Once you’ve had the vaccine you have a feeling of, you know, you’re protected, which is I think very important. 

And I think the other thing is that it is obviously difficult for people if they’ve never had a vaccine … but they ought to think about other people rather than themselves.’

After the call Dr Lawson said the Queen’s comments were an ‘incredibly important vote of confidence in the programme’.

She added: ‘We just want to make sure we create the conditions where everybody feels able to take up the offer of a vaccination when they’re called. And Her Majesty offering her view on that is a huge boost to our confidence and, I hope, to confidence more broadly in the programme.’

The Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge and Duchess of Cornwall have been thanking volunteers and key workers for their efforts in the vaccine rollout. Earlier this week Prince William made a point of saying on the jab: ‘I’d be at the front of the queue if I could, just to prove that it’s OK, but I have to wait my turn.’

The duchess told volunteers at another vaccination centre: ‘It feels like the first step of freedom, I certainly felt like that [after getting the vaccine]. I hope you’re able to be reunited with your grandchildren, I think we’re all looking forward to that!’

The Countess of Wessex is volunteering as a St John Ambulance volunteer at a vaccination centre. More than 10,000 volunteers have been trained for deployment at 2,500 sites around the UK.

The Queen had been reluctant to publicly confirm she was going to be vaccinated, with officials arguing that it was ‘private medical information’. But she had a change of heart and it was revealed that she and the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh had been given their jabs early last month.

The monarch has made only a handful of carefully-worded interventions in government matters during the course of her 69 years as head of state, most notably when she urged people to ‘think very carefully’ ahead of the 2014 Scottish independence vote.

It was later claimed that her comment to a member of public outside church at Balmoral was part of an ‘orchestrated’ plan to persuade people to vote ‘no’.

In 2019 she also urged people to seek common ground and never lose sight of the ‘bigger picture’ in what was widely seen as a reference to the often vitriolic debate over Brexit in a speech to her local Sandringham Women’s Institute.

A royal source likened this week’s intervention to the speech given by the Queen at the start of the pandemic in which she urged people to stay at home and talked about the need to work together to defeat the virus.

‘In this engagement and the engagements the family have been doing, it is another example of how we are all in it together,’ the insider added. ‘The vaccination programme is clearly the most important thing going on. They wanted to thank the people taking part in it.’

Insiders said the palace was ‘always wary of politics around these things’ but stressed the vaccination programme was ‘about the nation coming together’.

In the video call, Dr Lawson said: ‘To have vaccinated nearly 18million people in the UK is a testament to the strength, the will and the importance the Government, the NHS, all of our partners and our citizens have placed on this vaccination programme.

‘It really embodies the spirit of the NHS and it’s an amazing example of what the service can do when we all pull in the same direction and we work together with partners to deliver.’  

Addressing the Queen, she added: ‘I’m wondering what your experience of receiving the vaccine was and whether that was a positive experience from you, and what other feedback you’ve heard?’

The Queen, speaking from Windsor in pearls and salmon-pink dress, replied: ‘Well, as far as I can make out it was quite harmless. It was very quick, and I’ve had lots of letters from people who’ve been very surprised by how easy it was to get the vaccine. And the jab was very … it didn’t hurt at all.’

From today, hundreds of thousands of people on the official shielding list will be asked to come forward for their first dose.

A further ten vaccination sites, including Reading’s Madejski stadium and a theatre in Basildon, Essex, will start administering jabs this week.

 

 

Royals are warned to ‘hide behind the sofa’ with Harry and Meghan’s no-holds barred interview with Oprah still to come

Meghan and Harry’s Oprah sit-down is still two weeks away, with the Corden interview a big hint that it will focus on the Duchess

According to Variety, Comcast-owned Sky was out of the running while streaming giants Amazon Prime and Netflix – which has already signed a £112million deal with the Sussexes – are thought to not be involved.

The BBC is also not believed to be in the running, as it is instead airing the Queen’s annual Commonwealth Day message in a pre-recorded speech at Windsor on March 7 – just 24 hours before the Oprah interview is broadcast in the US.

Instead, ITV – whose journalist Tom Bradby famously asked Meghan if she was ‘okay’ as part of the broadcaster’s 2019 documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey – has reportedly emerged as the main contender. 

A spokesman for ITV declined to comment on reports that it had raced ahead in the bidding war among UK broadcasters.

BBC sources told Variety the public broadcaster – which has launched an investigation into how BBC Panorama secured an interview with Harry’s mother Princess Diana in 1995 – is not involved in the process.

Other potential broadcasters include ViacomCBS-backed Channel 5, which airs some Royal content, and Channel 4, which aired an ‘Alternative Christmas Message’ from a deepfake of the Queen over the holidays.

The BBC, Sky and ViacomCBS have been approached comment..

It is not yet known how or when UK viewers will see the full Oprah interview, though clips of the 90-minute chat will be all over the international TV news and online media minutes after it is shown in America. 

This week it emerged Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah may have to be re-edited or even partially re-shot due to the rift it has caused with the royal family and 99-year-old Prince Philip’s hospitalisation.   

Harry and Meghan are said to be in shock because the Queen stripped them of their royal and sporting patronages after they ‘poured their hearts out’ to Oprah during a two-day shoot in their £11million LA mansion last week. 

The tell-all interview is due to air on Sunday March 7 with no topics off-limits, with one source warning Harry’s family the show would be a good ‘time to hide behind the sofa at the palace’.  

Oprah will first speak with Meghan about royal life, marriage, motherhood, her philanthropic work and how she handles life under the public eye, before being joined by Harry to discuss their move to the US and future goals.        

Meghan is also expected to speak about the feud with her family on her father Thomas’ side after This Morning host Holly Willoughby said that Oprah’s team had been in contact with ITV for footage of an interview with her half-sister.

In the January 2020 broadcast Samantha Markle said the former Suits actress and Harry owed her and their father an apology for ‘incredibly wrong, untoward, and shocking’ behaviour after the royal wedding in 2018.

Ms Willoughby said: ‘Oprah Winfrey’s team contacted This Morning requesting footage from our interview with Samantha Markle in preparation for the interview with the Duchess of Sussex’. 

She added: ‘So, we don’t know whether or not they used that in the interview, but what we do know is nothing was off limits.’

‘I hope it’s worth it for him’: Prince Harry’s army friend says being stripped of his military titles after quitting royal life will be a ‘big ordeal’ 

Yesterday war hero burns victim Martyn Compton, who has known Harry for 15 years, said he hopes his friend’s decision to build a new life for himself, Meghan and Archie in Los Angeles will be ‘worth it for him’.

But Mr Compton hinted he can understand why the Queen has cut him loose, saying: ‘I guess it comes down to you can’t be a royal and cash in on it – and the royal family have said that, which is why everything had happened’.

Mr Compton, who was speaking to ITV’s Lorraine, is  a former British soldier from the Household Cavalry Regiment who suffered his injuries after an RPG set his vehicle alight in Afghanistan.

Last week he said his friend, who calls a ‘genuinely nice bloke’, may come to ‘regret’ his decision to step back from his royal responsibilities. 

When asked about the Queen’s decision to ensure Harry is forbidden by tradition from wearing full military regalia after suffering the bitter blow of losing his honorary appointments with the Armed Forces, Mr Compton said: ‘It’s a big ordeal for him to be able to do that – but he’s obviously looking out for his family.’

When asked if Harry would wish things were different, he said: ‘I guess it comes down to you can’t be a royal and cash in on it – and the royal family have said that which is why everything had happened.’

He added: ‘I’ll watch it [the Oprah interview] out of interest of what’s been said, but yeah it’s going to be a big thing that comes out and there’s obviously a reason why he’s done it by himself.’

Mr Compton was in hospital for a year after he suffered horrific burns to 75 per cent of his body when his armoured vehicle was blown up by a Taliban in 2006.

He was then shot twice in the leg as he scrambled away from the burning wreckage.

As he lay on the ground, his colleague Corporal Of Horse Andrew Radford thought he was an enemy soldier and raised his rifle to shoot him.

But CoH Radford realised his mistake just before he squeezed the trigger and dashed through enemy gunfire to carry his comrade to safety.

On their return to the UK, Lance Cpl Compton lay in a coma for three months and his saviour was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his heroics.

Mr Compton has scars all over his body but with some help from a leading surgeon in Harley Street, and has dedicated himself to raising money for charity since his recovery.

Paying tribute to Harry he said: ‘He does a lot for military charities. It comes back to the sort of guy he is. He’s just a normal, caring guy who just so happens to be a royal. He’s supported me in various charities and ventures I’ve done.’

His friend Prince Harry will now be forbidden by tradition from wearing full military regalia after suffering the bitter blow of losing his honorary appointments with the Armed Forces.

With the duke no longer returning as a working member of the Royal Family, his honorary roles, such as Captain General of the Royal Marines, will be returned to Her Majesty before being redistributed among other senior royals.

Harry, 36, will be prevented – if only by tradition – from wearing full military regalia. Should he attend a Remembrance Sunday event he could wear his medals and a regimental beret but not a uniform.

Garments he should no longer wear are understood to include the Blues and Royals frockcoat worn on his wedding day in May 2018 and the Royal Marines dress uniform he wore to the Royal Albert Hall in March 2020, shortly before he stepped down as a senior royal.

His former commander General Lord Dannatt paid a glowing personal tribute to Prince Harry, saying his heart would always be with Britain’s military community even though he may never be seen in uniform again.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail Lord Dannatt, a former head of the UK’s Armed Forces, sounded a defiant note on his behalf after the prince’s 16 years of service.

He said: ‘It was a privilege to have enjoyed Prince Harry’s comradeship during the years that he has served his country in uniform. As we say, ‘You can take someone out of the Army, but you can never take the Army out of them’.

‘I am sure the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force would say the same. I have no doubt that this will be Prince Harry’s emotion.

‘The announcement from Buckingham Palace is welcome in so far as it clears the air about the Duke of Sussex’s future intentions. I fully respect and support the decision that he has made in the best interests of his wife and growing family.

‘The military community will miss his official connections and contributions but I am in no doubt that he will continue to support our serving and veteran soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines in a private capacity, especially through the Invictus Games and service charities.’

Back in 2005 Prince Harry, then aged only 20, climbed the ornate steps of the Old College at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) to begin his officer training. It was widely remarked in the following years that the Army became his family.

He subsequently served his country with distinction on the frontline in Afghanistan, both as a soldier on the ground and later as a helicopter pilot.

After Sandhurst Prince Harry commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Blues and Royals, a regiment of the Household Cavalry, in 2006. A debate soon began about whether he could deploy with his unit to Iraq.

As he was not directly in line to the throne many senior army figures thought he should go. Eventually the Ministry of Defence, after drawn-out discussions with Buckingham Palace, was persuaded that he would be a high profile target whose presence would endanger those deployed with him.

Lord Dannatt then personally arranged for Prince Harry to serve in Afghanistan. He struck a deal with media outlets for them not to report his presence in return for interviews to be published and broadcast on his return. The deal held for ten weeks, allowing Harry to experience the brutal realities of warfare.

He served as a Forward Air Controller with a desert reconnaissance unit. In doing so he became the first member of the Royal Family to serve on the frontline since Prince Andrew took part in the Falklands War in 1982 as a helicopter pilot.

While Lord Dannatt offered Prince Harry his best wishes, he also sounded a note of caution as the Duke of Sussex starts a new chapter in his life.

He added: ‘Prince Harry will have had to weigh up very carefully everything that was important in his life. Although he cares deeply for the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that he has served with and our veterans, especially those who have been wounded, his priority is with his wife and growing family.

‘I fully respect and support the very difficult decision that he has had to make.

‘I wish him well for the future and know that his heart will always be with the British military.’

On his return to the UK from Afghanistan Prince Harry was advised to retrain as a helicopter pilot should he wish to go back to the conflict – though secretly few senior officers expected him to pass the necessary selection tests.

But he defied their low expectations, qualifying as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner. He returned to Helmand Province in September 2012 with the Army Air Corps and duly completed a four-month operational tour.

Harry then focused on veterans’ welfare and helped set up the Invictus Games, a version of the Paralympics for injured military personnel, before retiring from the Army in June 2015.

In December 2017, Harry accepted the role of Captain General of the Royal Marines from his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, who had served in this capacity for a remarkable 64 years.

The prince made a number of visits to the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) in Lympstone, Devon, and to Norway where Marines practise arctic warfare.

It has been speculated that the Captain General’s role could pass to Prince William or the Princess Royal. Harry will also relinquish his roles as honorary commandant of RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Navy’s Small Ships and Diving.