Palace did not ask Boris Johnson to give Prince Harry ‘pep talk’ over leaving UK

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Louise Thomas

Editor

Buckingham Palace did not ask Boris Johnson to attempt to persuade Prince Harry to stay in the UK, according to reports.

The former PM has claimed in a new book he was urged to give the Duke of Sussex a “manly pep talk” to convince him to stay in the UK and not step back from royal duties.

In his memoir, Unleashed, which will be published on 10 October, Mr Johnson describes “a ridiculous business... when they made me try to persuade Harry to stay. Kind of manly pep talk. Totally hopeless”.

Reports said the pair had a 20-minute meeting behind closed doors on the margins of a UK-Africa investment summit in London’s Docklands, on 20 January, 2020.

It came just hours after Prince Harry announced with “great sadness” that he and Meghan felt they had “no other option” but to step away from royal life.

During the subsequent meeting, the two men met for 20 minutes without aides as Mr Johnson tried to persuade the prince to reconsider.

The Telegraph reports sources close to the Duke of Sussex confirmed the prime minister did suggest to him he should remain in the UK.

However, sources with knowledge of such meetings at the time insisted that the Palace did not ask Mr Johnson to intervene, the newspaper said.

It is unclear whether someone from inside Downing Street suggested Mr Johnson speak to the prince about the matter.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping back as senior royals in January 2020. While keeping their royal titles, they are no longer addressed as his or her royal highness.

The family later moved to Montecito, California, where they remain today, having given up their lives as working royals.

Mr Johnson has previously said the memoir will be his “personal account of the huge realignment that took place in UK politics in the last 15 years”, taking in his leadership of the Brexit campaign that severed Britain’s ties with the EU, as well as his management of the Covid pandemic and the subsequent scandals that rocked his government until his downfall as PM in September 2022.