Prince Harry ITV interview: Harry accuses family of getting ‘in the bed with the devil’

In one of the most shocking moments to come out of Prince Harry’s ITV interview with journalist and longtime friend Tom Bradby, Harry has likened his family to abusers and accused them of deciding to “get in the bed with the devil”.

In the candid and at times hostile interview with Bradby, Harry speaks about his family’s approach to honesty and accuses them of being “complicit” in his and Meghan Markle’s “pain and suffering”.

When asked by Bradby if speaking out about their experience will burn the Californian-based royals’ bridges with the family, Harry replies, “I’m not sure how honesty is burning bridges. You know, silence only allows the abuser to abuse. Right? So I don’t know how staying silent is ever gonna make things better. That’s genuinely what I believe.”

Going on to explain why he has chosen to share his story so openly and, ironically, sparingly, the prince says after 38 years of having his story “told by so many different people, with intentional spin and distortion, felt like a good time to own my story and be able to tell it for myself”.

“I don’t think that if I was still part of the institution that I would have been given this chance to. So, I’m actually really grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to tell my story because it’s my story to tell,” he said.

Prince Harry speaking during an interview with ITV's Tom Bradby for the programme Harry: The Interview. Photo / PA via AP

In anticipation of the official release of his memoir, Spare, later this week, Harry goes on to explain how details of the family’s lives - including his own - are “leaked and planted” to UK media.

He then claims “certain members” of the royal family “decided to get in the bed with the devil” - in reference to the tabloid media - to “rehabilitate” their image.

“If you need to do that, or you want to do that, you choose to do that. Well, that is a choice. That’s up to you. But the moment that that rehabilitation comes at the detriment of others, me, other members of my family, then that’s where I draw the line.”

The detriment of others was in reference to his wife Meghan Markle, who experienced intense scrutiny by the British media after marrying Harry in 2018, with Harry alleging that “doubled down” after the couple began their 12-month transition period before resigning from royal duties in 2020.

Throughout the interview Harry also took aim at his stepmother, Queen Consort Camilla, accusing her of leaking stories to the media and playing the “long game” with his father.

Reading out a piece of his memoir, Harry seemingly resentfully explains how he and William “begged” Charles not to marry Camilla before saying: “He didn’t answer. But she answered. Straight away. Shortly after our private summits with her, she began to play the long game.

“A campaign aimed at marriage, and eventually the Crown, with Pa’s blessing we presumed.”

He then went on to say how accurate details from private conversations soon ended up in the press. One of those conversations took place in 1998 between Harry, William and Camilla.

Another breakout moment came when he claimed his father, King Charles, was “not made” for single-parenthood.

The prince has four television interviews lined up, the first of which was the interview with ITV’s Bradby -follow the Herald’s live coverage here.

The prince’s hour-long US interview with CBS’ Anderson Cooper will also be released today , hitting screens at 7pm Sunday in New York (1pm today, NZT).

The Herald will have live updates of this interview as well.

Harry is also appearing on ABC’s “Good Morning America” (1am, Tuesday, NZT) and on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Wednesday (5.35pm, Wednesday, NZT).