LONDON – Queen Elizabeth turned 96 on Thursday, but in the British press that milestone was overshadowed by Prince Harry’s interview with NBC, where he made some controversial comments about their relationship.
During an interview from the Netherlands, the prince told NBC’s Today program that he has a “really special relationship” with his grandmother, and that they discuss things that she “can’t talk about with anybody else.”
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Speaking to Hoda Kotb on the sidelines of the Invictus Games, which he founded in 2014, Harry talked about the Queen’s “great sense of humor,” and said he visited her last week partly to ensure “that she’s protected, and got the right people around her.”
The tabloids and broadsheets didn’t take his words lightly, with the comments dominating Thursday’s front pages, and feeding the opinion columns and editorials.
“Palace Shock at Harry, Duke of Delusion,” said the Daily Mail, which also carried a new image of the Queen with her horses to mark her birthday.
“On day the Queen released serene birthday portrait, guess who spoiled her joy once again ….” said another headline in the Mail, which accused Harry of “breathtaking arrogance” and added that Buckingham Palace was left “reeling” following the prince’s comments.
The Mirror led with stock photos of the Queen and Harry and a headline that read, “Prince’s Jubilee Dither: Are You Coming or Not Then?” referring to Harry’s indecision about attending the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which run from June 2-5.
Quoting royal sources, newspapers reported earlier this week that the Queen has asked Harry and his family to stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the rest of the royals during the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony on June 2.
Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial military parade that marks the British monarch’s “official” birthday and takes place each year in early June. The Queen and her family usually appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
With lockdown restrictions lifted, this year will be the first time since 2019 that the event will take place in public, with the family in attendance, once again.
The Daily Express attempted to balance its front-page coverage with the new picture of the Queen, and a headline that declared: “Happy 96th birthday Ma’am … Here’s to your glorious rei(g)n!”
A second front-page headline read: “Prince Harry’s Ultimate Royal Snub,” referring to Harry’s failure, during the NBC interview, to say whether he missed his father Prince Charles and his brother Prince William now that he no longer lives in England.