Prince Harry found himself unexpectedly swept into a pop-culture storm this week when comedian Hasan Minhaj asked him to weigh in on one of 2025's most talked-about music feuds-Taylor Swift versus Charli XCX. The exchange, which aired during Harry's guest appearance on Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know, quickly went viral for the Duke's unguarded reaction and confusion over the subject.
"This one's heavy, Harry - what do you think of the Taylor Swift and Charli XCX beef?" Minhaj asked early in the episode. The Duke, visibly puzzled, chuckled before replying, "The what? Oh no...," glancing off-camera for help as the host laughed. The clip drew millions of views within hours, with fans amused by how "out of the loop" the royal appeared about one of pop culture's fiercest lyrical rivalries.
The feud that baffled Harry traces back to Charli XCX's 2024 single Sympathy Is a Knife, which listeners speculated referenced Swift's brief relationship with The 1975's Matty Healy-bandmate of Charli's now-husband, George Daniel. Swift later released Actually Romantic, which many fans interpreted as a pointed response. Though Charli later said the track was "about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure," speculation online only intensified.
Minhaj, known for blending humor and cultural commentary, teased Harry about being a "pop beef diplomat." The Duke laughed off the moment, maintaining composure as the conversation shifted to more serious themes.
The timing of the viral moment added irony: Meghan Markle had posted an Instagram Story just a day earlier featuring Swift's song Opalite. Fans online quickly drew contrasts between Meghan's "Swiftie" energy and her husband's unfamiliarity with the feud, joking that the couple represented "two sides of the pop culture coin."
Beyond the viral soundbite, the podcast delved into one of Harry's central advocacy issues - the mental health effects of technology on children and young adults. Through his Archewell Foundation, he and Meghan recently launched The Parents Network, a coalition supporting families who have lost children to social media-related harms.
"The very thing that supposedly connects people has now created more isolation than ever," Harry told Minhaj. He called for stronger regulations ensuring platforms are "safe by design," arguing that technology should protect rather than exploit developing minds. Discussing the right age for kids to use social media, he said children's brains should mature "before their lives are litigated in the digital world."
Harry warned that young users' privacy and well-being are being compromised by corporate priorities.
