Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Liveupdated

Prince Harry interview - live: Royal deflects question about whether he misses his brother and father

Follow the latest updates from the Duke of Sussex’s interview with NBC News’ ‘Today’ at the Invictus Games

Io Dodds ,Chelsea Ritschel,Amber Raiken
Wednesday 20 April 2022 15:42 EDT
Comments
Prince Harry Speaks About Seeing His Grandmother, The Queen

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Prince Harry has said he is making sure his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II is “protected” and has “the right people around her,” while deflecting a question about whether he misses his brother and father.

In an interview with the Today show’s Hoda Kotb on NBC on Wednesday, the Duke of Sussex said it was “just so nice” to see the Queen on only his third trip back to the UK since March 2020.

The royal sat down with Kotb while in The Hague, Netherlands to attend the Invictus Games, with the full interview aired on Wednesday morning.

The interview came just one year after the Duke’s explosive TV special with Oprah Winfrey alongside his wife Meghan, during which the couple detailed a number of concerning claims about their time as royals.

Follow live updates below as we report the latest news from Prince Harry’s visit and learn more about what he said to NBC.

According to the duke, who noted that his visit with the Queen marked only the third time that he has returned to the UK since relocating to California with his wife Meghan, he wants his grandmother to meet the couple’s daughter Lilibet.

However, Harry acknowledged that there are certain “security issues” that are preventing the family members from meeting.

Prince Harry’s comments come amid his case against the Home Office over police protection in the UK, which challenges the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which told the royal he would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting from the US.

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 17:16

Elsewhere in the conversation, Prince Harry discussed his and Meghan Markle’s home in California, and how the US has come to feel like “home”.

The couple relocated to the US after stepping down from their roles as senior members of the royal family in March 2020. After initially moving to Canada, they moved to Los Angeles, before settling in Montecito.

According to Prince Harry, California has since come to feel like home, as he noted that the community welcomed him and his family with “open arms”.

Prince Harry tells Hoda Kotb California now feels like ‘home’

Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California after stepping down from roles in royal family in March 2020

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 16:21

During the interview, Prince Harry spoke about certain members of his family, including his late mother Princess Diana.

When asked whether he talks about his mother with his children, and specifically his two-year-old son Archie, the royal said that he does, and that he and Meghan have photos of Diana up around their home.

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 15:52

According to the duke, who founded the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for “wounded, injured, and sick service personnel,” in 2014, he finds “healing in helping others”.

When Kotb told Harry that an athlete had come up to her and told her that the Invictus Games “saved” her life, the duke told the Today host that it feels “amazing” to hear that.

“But every single games that I go to, I hear the same thing from so many, and that, it feels amazing that we’ve managed to play a part in their recovery,” he said.

However, Prince Harry said it also makes him “incredibly sad” to know how “dark it was” for the athletes competing in the games.

The duke himself served in the Army for 10 years, during which he served two tours of Afghanistan.

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 15:34

The Today show host has promised more of her interview with the Duke of Sussex is coming up, after the pair discussed a number of topics, from his and Meghan Markle’s secret visit to the Queen last week to his thoughts on fatherhood.

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 15:20

While Harry acknowledged that working from home with young children raises certain difficulities, he told Kotb that he loves everything about being a father to his son and daughter.

“All of it. The chaos, the learning, the reminder of just every element of yourself, your soul,” he said.

You can read more about what Prince Harry said about fatherhood below:

Prince Harry reveals what he loves about fatherhood

‘The reminder of just every element of yourself, your soul’

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 15:03

During a second part of the interview, which focused mainly on the Invictus Games, which Prince Harry founded in 2014, Kotb spoke to some of the Games competitors about what it means to compete.

When asked what it means to be able to watch the competitors “shine,” Prince Harry told Kotb that, as far as he’s aware, they have “shone throughout their careers anyway”.

“It comes back to the very simple thing, the power of sport,” Harry said.

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 14:21

While discussing his family with Kotb, Prince Harry was asked whether he talks with his children about their grandmother, the late Princess Diana.

According to the Duke of Sussex, he speaks with his son Archie about “grandma Diana,” with Prince Harry noting that he feels his mother’s presence “more so than ever before”.

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 14:03

During the interview, Prince Harry also spoke candidly about his life in California, which he described as feeling like “home,” and what it has been like working from home amid the pandemic with his and Meghan’s two young children.

Like many other parents, the royal acknowledged the difficulties that parenting and working from home pose, with the duke telling Kotb that two-year-old Archie “spends more time interrupting our Zoom calls than anybody else”.

Prince Harry opens up about struggles of working from home with son Archie

‘Archie spends more time interrupting our Zoom calls than anybody else’

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 13:39

Prince Harry’s praise for the Queen prompted Kotb to question whether he and Meghan would be attending the royal’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations after it was reported that they were invited to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

According to Harry, he doesn’t know “yet” whether his family will attend, as he noted that there are still various security questions.

However, he did note that he wants his and Meghan’s children, son Archie, two, and Lilibet, 10 months, to meet his grandmother.

Prince Harry says he doesn’t know ‘yet’ if he will attend Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Couple was reportedly invited to appear on Buckingham Palace balcony during celebrations

Chelsea Ritschel20 April 2022 13:32

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in