It has, on balance, been one of Prince Harry’s busier fortnights in recent times. As if to upstage his father’s state visit to the United States next week – surely not! – he has not only been on his own quasi-royal tour of Australia with his wife, but he has also popped over to Ukraine. There he sternly announced that he was visiting ‘not as a politician, but as a humanitarian and a soldier who understands service.’
It was in Ukraine that Harry made remarks about how his adopted country of America should uphold its ‘international treaty obligations’, given its ‘enduring role in global security’. Although he did not make any explicitly disparaging remarks about Donald Trump, the implication was quite clear.
Harry is the third least popular member of the royal family – behind his wife and uncle
The US President dealt with any shade that had been cast upon him with impressive sangfroid. He remarked – some might say sneeringly:
Prince Harry? How’s he doing? How’s his wife? Please give her my regards. I know one thing: Prince Harry is not speaking for the UK, that’s for sure.
A recent YouGov poll published to mark the late Queen’s centenary had Harry as the third least popular member of the royal family – behind his wife and uncle. A mere 30 per cent of the country having ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ positive feelings about him, compared to double that number harbouring ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ negative reactions. Ironically, he showed himself at his best on his trip to Australia, connecting with the public there in an easy and unforced manner that his brother and father have often struggled to match. But the sense of privilege and, indeed, contempt that the Duke of Sussex displays towards ‘the Firm’ is striking and also rather ungrateful.
Which is why it was all the more surprising that, in an interview yesterday from Ukraine with ITV’s royal editor, Harry was asked whether he still saw himself as a working royal. He replied that:
I will always be part of the royal family and I’m here working and doing the very thing I was born to do. I enjoy doing it. I enjoy being able to do these trips and coming to support the people that I’ve met before, the friends that I’ve made. And hopefully bringing attention to issues that for one reason or another drop out of the news because something else has popped up.
Strangely, his words – and continued adherence to Ukraine to burnish his brand – reminded me of his fellow Old Etonian Boris Johnson. He, too, continues to fly the flag in support of Ukraine – thus reminding us one of the best things he did in office – but fails to persuade those agnostics that he is, after all, A Good Thing in the process.
And so, I am afraid, it is with Prince Harry. Many Spectator readers will agree with his statement that ‘it’s bad enough in today’s world feeling gagged and saying that you can’t say these things and can’t say that.’ This is a completely accurate sentiment, but thankfully free speech allows us to remark, of the Montecito moaner, that his dedication to putting himself centre stage has long since exhausted anyone’s patience and tolerance.
When ITV asked whether this particular intervention might overshadow the King’s state visit to America next week, Harry replied, ‘No, I don’t think so. Not at all.’ Others, alas, might take a rather less generous interpretation of his actions.
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