Palace did not ask Boris Johnson to give Prince Harry ‘pep talk’ over leaving UK
Former prime minister’s memior claims he was asked to convince Prince Harry to stay in the UK
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.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.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments