Prince Albert of Monaco blasts Prince Harry over bombshell Oprah interview saying 'this type of public display of dissatisfaction... should be held in the intimate quarters of the family'
Prince Albert II of Monaco has criticised Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview as inappropriate, saying their decision 'bothered' him and they should have discussed their grievances with the Royal Family privately.
The 63-year-old ruler of the sovereign city-state, who is a distant cousin of the Queen and whose mother was actress Grace Kelly, said he understood the pressures faced by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
But he slammed their choice to air their issues to Oprah Winfrey and tens of millions of TV viewers, saying such a 'public display of dissatisfaction... wasn't appropriate' and their move to reveal painful family rifts 'bothered him'.
Prince Albert II, who embraced Harry when they met at the Rugby World Cup final in Japan in 2019, told BBC World News: 'It's very difficult to be in someone's place. I can understand the pressures that they were under.
'But I think that this type of public display of dissatisfaction, to say the least, these types of conversations should be held within the intimate quarters of the family. It doesn't really have to be laid out in the public sphere like that.
'So, it did bother me a little bit. I can understand where they are coming from in a certain way, but I think it wasn't the appropriate forum to be able to have these kinds of discussions.' His comments come after:
- Experts said Harry could be working in the US on a visa designed for people with 'extraordinary ability';
- The Duke hit the ground running in his new job by posting a motivational quote on BetterUp's Instagram;
- He added a second job to his portfolio, working as a 'commissioner on disinformation' for the Aspen Institute;
- The couple admitted they had only exchanged personal vows before their wedding despite Meghan's claim that they were married by the Archbishop of Canterbury three days before their official wedding.
In the interview, Prince Albert II also wished Harry well in his new life in California, but there was a hint that it would be tough without the support of his family in Britain. He said: 'I wish him the best. It's a difficult world there and I hope that he can have the judgement and wisdom to make the right choices.'
The Royal Family is still trying to pick up the pieces from the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes' explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they made a series of damaging allegations. This included Harry and Meghan's explosive racism claims, in which they claimed a family member asked how dark their son Archie's skin might be.
In a statement Buckingham Palace insisted it took the couple's claims - particularly on race - 'very seriously', but pointedly added that 'recollections may vary', suggesting some allegations are disputed.
Prince Albert II of Monaco has criticised Harry and Meghan's tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview as inappropriate
The European ruler told BBC World News he wasn't impressed by the couple's decision to go public
Prince Harry shakes hands with Prince Albert II of Monaco during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Final between England and South Africa in Yokohama on November 02, 2019
Prince Harry and Prince Albert II of Monaco also embraced when meeting at Yokohama in Japan on November 02, 2019
Just days after it was broadcast, William, 38, angrily hit back at their claims the Royal Family is racist. Asked about the allegation during an engagement, William retorted: 'We're very much not a racist family.'
It has now been reported that he was left 'reeling' in the immediate aftermath of the programme, with a source close to the duke telling the Sunday Times: 'His head is all over the place on it.'
Harry's claims that William and his father Prince Charles were 'trapped' in their Royal roles were also 'way off the mark', friends said, with a source insisting that William does not see it that way.
'He has a path set for him and he's completely accepting of his role. He is very much his grandmother's grandson in that respect of duty and service,' the source said.
The relationship between the two brothers, who were once so close, has been strained for some time now and appears to have only got worse following the interview.
But according to the newspaper it was William who initially tried to smooth things over, playing peacekeeper in the tense run up to Harry and Meghan's 2018 wedding.
Prince Albert's intervention came as Harry added another job to his ever-growing portfolio, working as a 'commissioner on disinformation' to fight so-called fake news.
Just 24 hours after announcing he had been appointed as 'chief impact officer' for an online life coaching company, it was revealed the sixth in line to the throne has also been recruited to a left-wing think tank undertaking a new study into 'information disorder', funded by a controversial billionaire.
He is one of 15 commissioners and three co-chairs who will conduct a six-month study into what has been described as the digital 'avalanche of misinformation' on behalf of the Aspen Institute.
But the Sussexes, who have signed multi-million dollar deals with streaming giants Netflix and Spotify, have themselves been accused of misinformation in their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey later this month.
This included the claim by Meghan that they were married by the Archbishop of Canterbury three days before their official wedding in their 'backyard' at Kensington Palace.
This subsequently proved to be false and this week the couple's own spokesman admitted that they had only exchanged personal vows.
Viacom CBS, who made the interview with Miss Winfrey, has also been accused of deliberately editing UK newspaper headlines to try and support the couple's disputed claims about racist press coverage.
Harry and Meghan, 39, insisted that they would do nothing to dishonour or embarrass the Queen when they quit as senior working royals and would not openly trade on their royal status.
Earlier this week it emerged that Harry, 36, who has no previous corporate experience, has been appointed 'chief impact officer' at mental health and life-style coaching business BetterUp.
BetterUp chief executive Alexi Robichaux revealed yesterday that his new royal employee insists on everyone calling him Harry because they are all 'partners' in the business.
He has refused to discuss how Harry is being paid, but if he takes equity in the company his stake could be worth millions as the firm has been valued at more than £1 billion.
The Duke will help to promote the BetterUp wellness app, which is used by corporate giants including Hilton, Facebook, confectionery giant Mars and oil firm Chevron to improve the wellbeing of their staff.
He was introduced to the BetterUp co-founder through unnamed mutual friend last year, and after they weighed up 'four buckets of opportunities', they agreed to start working together, Mr Robichaux said yesterday.
The Royal Family is still trying to pick up the pieces from the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes' explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey
The Duke of Sussex has been appointed 'chief impact officer' at mental health services business BetterUp by CEO Alexi Robichaux (right today), where he will help promote an app used by corporate giants including Hilton, Facebook and oil firm Chevron to improve the wellbeing of their staff.
48 hours later he announced he was joining Aspen Institute's new Commission on Information Disorder
He said: 'He's been in the role for a couple of months, and we're so excited to share the news with the world. We're partners here, he likes to be called Harry in the workplace, so we just address him as Harry.'
Prince William (pictured during special message for Comic Relief last week) is still 'very upset' by the interview given by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Mr Robichaux, who likes to quote Einstein and and once gave a presentation on his business to leading scientists and academics while wearing a spacesuit, told Sky News: 'We were just so impressed, and really I think there was such a natural chemistry and synergy around the insights and the contributions he can make creatively to BetterUp in ensuring that we achieve our mission.
'Bigger than commercial success, this is about global impact, and so as we crafted the role together, those four buckets of opportunities, we came to the title 'chief impact officer', really denoting that he's focused on our mission and he's focused on ensuring that we're doing everything we can to achieve our mission on a bigger and larger and grander scale to impact the lives of more people.'
He added: 'He's also helping to work on everything from product design to product strategy, to co-creating content and the experience for our members and helping with partnerships, like creating some new content for our users related to mental toughness and mental fitness as well.'
Harry will spend time at the firm's San Francisco office - when Covid-19 allows - where the prince can take part in weekly office yoga sessions, beat a punch bag when he's frustrated or pet the office dog 'Gordo' when he's concerned about his 'wellness'. He can also bring his dogs Guy and Pula to work if he likes.
BetterUp also throws regular 'onesie-fancy dress parties' for staff, including at Halloween - but if this gets too much for the prince he can relax using some of his five 'inner work' days a year.
This is on top of his holiday days - to focus on 'personalised growth' by hiking in California, reading books or doing volunteer work.
His new office has sofas to flop on during a hard day and games to play when staff need a break.
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