Harry recounts ‘horrible reaction from my family’ after queen died

Prince Harry has reflected on the “horrible reaction” he alleges he recieved from the royal family when he was reunited with them after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Duke of Sussex made the comments during his interview with ITV host Tom Bradby on Sunday (8 January), ahead of the release of his memoir Spare.

The ghostwritten book contains several startling claims, including that William physically attacked Harry during a confrontation at the latter’s London home in 2019.

He also reportedly wrote about a row between the brothers over Harry and wife Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.

When asked about the Prince of Wales’s possible reaction to his autobiography or conversation with Bradby, Harry said he didn’t think “my father or brother will read the book”.

He continued: “I don’t know whether they’ll be, you know, watching this or not, but, what they have to say to me and what I have to say to them will be in private, and I hope it can stay that way.

“Because the last moment that we were together was during the Queen’s funeral,” Harry told Bradby, adding that the sombre occasion in September last year was a “really good opportunity to bring the family together”.

However, the duke said, the day Britain’s longest-reigning monarch died “was just a really, really horrible reaction from my family members”.

“I was like ‘We’re here to celebrate the life of granny and to mourn her loss, can we come together as a family?’ but I don’t know how we collectively – how we change that,” he said.

According to a report by The Guardian, there was “no eye contact or acknowledgment” between Harry and William as they walked behind the Queen’s coffin at her funeral on 22 September 2022.

In his book, Harry reportedly claims King Charles did not want him to bring his wife, the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle to visit the queen before she died on 8 September 2022, citing “nonsensical and disrepectful” reasons.

The Independent has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.

Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as senior members of the royal family in March 2020, in what has been dubbed “Megxit”.

They sat down for their sensational interview with American broadcasting legend Oprah Winfrey the following year.

Excerpts from Harry’s ghostwritten autobiography have been published by the UK press in the run-up to its official launch on 10 January, after it was accidentally put on sale in Spain last week.

Harry: The Interview is now available to watch on ITVx. Follow the latest updates here.