Prince Albert II of Monaco is the first royal outside of the British royal family to discuss Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey, telling BBC that he was bothered by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's revelations.
In an interview with journalist Yalda Hakim, Albert said that Harry and Meghan's "public display of dissatisfaction" should not have gone on television as it was an intimate matter for the family only. The Sovereign Prince of the French Riviera city-state and the head of House Grimaldi said that while he understood the couple's sentiments, the TV interview wasn't the appropriate forum for it. Still, Albert wished Harry well and extended his hopes that the British royal would have the right "judgment and wisdom" for his choices.
Harry and Meghan told Winfrey of their hurt and disappointment with the royal institution and some members of their family. They claimed about inequality and racism, as well as being disappointed by Prince Charles, who, allegedly, cut off their finances when they stepped back as working royals.
Albert, who is a friend of Charles, once told Harry and Meghan right after they were engaged in 2017 that they will have to deal with the "full onslaught" of the media's scrutiny on the British royal family. He said that Meghan might be prepared for the scrutiny as a former actress but he also warned her that the pace of royal life is much more different.
The Monaco monarch knows the scrutiny all too well as his life was also followed by the tabloid press, especially during his days as a European bachelor, when he also sued for invasion of privacy. His mother was the former Hollywood actress Grace Kelly, who caught the eye of Prince Rainier in 1955.
Like Meghan, Princess Grace gave up her thriving movie career to marry a royal and become the Princess Consort of Monaco. She was also the target of the tabloid press both in Europe and the United States.
In another interview, Albert said that he personally spoke to Harry in 2019 after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their lawsuits against the tabloids. The Duke of Sussex told the Monaco royal that they felt bullied by the press and Albert said he truly sympathized with the couple.
Albert told Prince Harry to "do what you have to do" to have their privacy but he also said that sometimes, the best thing to do is not to pay attention to the press. However, he conceded that ignoring the negative publicities was harder to do, especially with a harsh and inquisitive British press.
