Prince Harry responds to claim that the UK wants him to "shut up"

Prince Harry has hit back at claims that the British public wants him to "shut up", hinting that he has no plans to stop sharing what he describes as his "side of the story".

"There are a lot of people in Britain who support you, [and] there are a lot of people in Britain who are annoyed with you and wish you would shut up and stop talking about it and leave it," ITV's Tom Bradby said to the Duke of Sussex in an exclusive interview.

In response, Harry asked: "Stop talking about what?"

"The issues that you’ve raised during the course of this interview, you know, not talk about your family, not talk about the press, not talk about all these things and I think there are some people in the middle who are listening but kind of think: 'He does seem to spend a lot of time looking back, not looking forward'," Tom replied, pointing out that Harry "wanted to leave the Royal Family" and "start a new life".

"There's a danger that you're looking back too much," the reporter went on. "Do you worry about that for yourself?"

In response, Harry emphasised that telling his version of events has been "essential" and that he expected backlash from the public for doing so. "We [he and Meghan Markle] always knew that these two projects, both the Netflix documentary and the book, you know, one being our story and one very much being my story, they were look-back projects," Harry said.

"They were necessary, they were essential for historical fact and significance," the Duke went on. "I don’t want my kids or other people of that age growing up thinking: 'Oh wow, this is what happened'. Like no that’s not what happened. This is what happened."

"There are two sides to every story," he insisted. "It's been – it's been a painful process, cathartic at times, but going back over old ground to be able to get these projects right has taken a lot of energy. And there's a lot of relief now that both these projects have been completed, and now we can focus on looking forward and I'm excited about that."

"So, no I'm not stuck in the past and I will never be stuck in the past."

Harry: The Interview is available to stream now on ITVX.

Jade Biggs

Freelance Writer

Jade Biggs (she/her) is one of Cosmopolitan UK's freelance writers, working across all sections including entertainment, beauty, body, and sex and relationships. She previously held the position of Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and the latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. Jade has a degree in journalism and has been a journalist and content editor for ten years, interviewing leading researchers, high-profile influencers, and industry experts in that time. She is a cat mom to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches, and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.