Prince Harry's comments have been slammed by health workers. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Harry's comments have been slammed by health workers. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Harry has sparked anger by claiming the United Kingdom's Covid-19 crisis is not as bad as the public are being told.
In an interview with the Declassifed podcast, the 35-year-old said that things here are "better than we are led to believe through certain corners of the media".
But his comments were branded "outrageous" by expert Professor Karol Sikora, who asked: "What are his qualifications for making these comments — other than deserting his country in its hour of need?"
Harry, who is currently with wife Meghan, 38, in Los Angeles, also praised Captain Tom Moore, 99, who has raised £23 million (NZ$58 million) for the National Health Service.
Speaking on the podcast, he said: "I think what has happened especially in the UK is the very best of the human spirit and it's proving that things are better than we are led to believe through certain corners of the media.
"Certainly when you're in isolation it can be very worrying when you're sitting there and the only information you're getting is from certain news channels, but then if you're out and about and you're on the right platforms you can really sense this human spirit coming to the forefront."
Sikora, who has led antibody tests and is a former No 10 adviser, told The Sun: "I think these remarks are outrageous.
"As for the media, I really don't understand what Harry's beef is. Journalists have been reporting the facts and have been doing great work in holding the Government to account.
"The media has also championed the NHS and become a key ally of doctors, nurses and key workers. They should be applauded, not vilified."
Piers Morgan tweeted: "Prince Harry, from his Hollywood mansion, accusing the media of exaggerating the scale of this crisis in Britain is contemptible. It's the media that is exposing the real scale of it as our death toll rockets to highest in Europe & over 60 health workers have now died."
Prince Harry, from his Hollywood mansion, accusing the media of exaggerating the scale of this crisis in Britain is contemptible. It’s the media that is exposing the real scale of it as our death toll rockets to highest in Europe & over 60 health workers have now died.
Nadra Ahmed, of the National Care Association, suggested Prince Harry "hasn't seen all the evidence".
She revealed that health and care staff were suffering mental anguish, adding: "Some of the things I have heard are harrowing."
Prince Harry has also praised the British public's response to the coronavirus pandemic as well as Captain Tom, as he and wife Meghan Markle were seen on the streets of Los Angeles for a second time wearing masks to deliver packages for charity.
In the same podcast Prince Harry said the number of volunteers rushing to help in the national effort was "wonderfully British".
He added that he was "incredibly proud" of the British public's response to the pandemic.
The duke, who has quit as a working royal and moved to America with Meghan and 11-month-old son Archie, also praised World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore for his "utterly amazing" fundraising efforts.
The podcast episode is hoping to encourage veterans to volunteer and join the Team Rubicon UK organisation, which is assisting the Government in responding to the coronavirus crisis.
"I want to say a huge thank you, as we all do, to all of the NHS workers and everybody that's volunteering," the duke said.
"Because up and down the UK, whether it's from Dorset up to Staffordshire, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people volunteering."
Referring to an article by the Guardian about the high number of people who have come forward to volunteer, Harry added: "It's such a wonderfully British thing that we all come to help when we need it."
