Prince Harry has said he wants to reconcile with his family, telling GQ’s One More Question interview series: “Some people don’t want it to work out. I want it to work out… the most important thing is to reconcile. That’s the key point.” The Duke of Sussex spoke to GQ’s Zach Baron for the interview, his first sit-down since returning to the United Kingdom, according to coverage of its release.
The interview itself is not new this weekend. It was recorded in New York in late September and released on October 20, GQ said. What is new is the follow-on coverage: HELLO!’s reporting on the reaction to the remarks, and Page Six carrying royal expert Hugo Vickers’ assessment that King Charles and Prince William “have been very clever to say very little” about them. Neither the King nor William has responded publicly, Page Six reported.
Asked whether he grieves the relationship he once had with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, Harry answered, “Yes, of course,” HELLO! reported. He called family estrangement a “massively relatable issue,” and said the subject comes up constantly in his own conversations: “That continues to come up with me the whole time by people that I speak to. So I know how relatable it is,” he said, in remarks carried by People.
Asked whether the rift could be repaired, Harry said, “Yeah, of course,” according to People. He acknowledged that the hurt does not disappear — “Scars stick around forever,” he said — while encouraging people to change their mindset and let go of the past where they can. “For me, there’s enough drama in the world and enough drama in people’s lives to continue with issues with family,” he told GQ.
Harry also said the move back to the United Kingdom was partly to be closer to family, and that he hopes to “work things out,” OK! reported. He and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, moved back to Britain with their children in August, six years after stepping back from their roles as working royals and relocating to California.
The rift has been public for years. It deepened after Harry stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and later aired family grievances publicly, uInterview reported in its account of the interview, and in his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry alleged that William knocked him to the floor during a 2019 argument over Meghan.
The Two Readings
Read as a jab: Several British outlets read the “some people” remark as a jab at Prince William. uInterview’s headline on the interview called it exactly that — a jab at his estranged brother.
The Sussex response: A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told HELLO! the comment was “absolutely not aimed at his brother or any other relative” and was made in a general context. “It was absolutely not intended as a swipe at his brother or any other member of his family. The comment was made in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way,” the spokesperson said.
As of the weekend’s coverage, there has been no public response from King Charles or Prince William to the interview. Vickers’ comment, carried by Page Six, is the closest thing to one: that the King and William “have been very clever to say very little.” Harry’s stated position, from the interview itself, is that he wants the reconciliation to happen: “I want it to work out.”
Sources: GQ; HELLO!; People; OK!; InStyle; Page Six; uInterview.
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