Duke of Sussex sidesteps query on strained family ties
Harry’s relationship with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, has been tense for years, long before he and Meghan Markle relocated to North America. The Duke of Sussex last saw his father during a short trip to the UK in 2022, a meeting described as brief and formal.
During an appearance on NBC’s Today show, host Hoda Kotb asked Harry directly if he missed his father or brother. Rather than giving a straight answer, Harry shifted the focus back to the event he was attending.
“For me, at the moment, I’m here focused on these guys and their families,” he said. “I’m giving everything that I can 120 percent to ensure they have the experience of a lifetime. That’s my focus here, and then when I leave here, I get back and my focus is my family, who I miss massively.”
While his words struck a warm note about Meghan and their children, observers quickly noticed how neatly he sidestepped the original question. Royal correspondent Chris Ship summed it up on Twitter: “Asked in his @TODAYshow interview if he missed his brother and his dad, Harry completely swerves the question.”
The rift between Harry and his family has been public since he stepped back from royal duties in March 2020. In his 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, he revealed that his father had stopped taking his calls and had “cut him off financially.” He explained that before leaving, he had spoken with the late Queen three times and with Charles twice, but then communication abruptly ended. “I needed to do this for my family,” he said at the time. “It’s really sad that it got to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my mental health, for my wife’s, and for Archie’s as well.”
Though he later reconnected with his father in 2022 during a brief visit with Meghan to see the Queen, reports suggest that encounter was far from smooth. Biographer Angela Levin claimed the Sussexes arrived “15 minutes late,” leaving Charles, then Prince of Wales, waiting.
