PRINCE Harry was “fantastic” before Meghan Markle and had “no filter” and was “great fun”, according to a royal expert.
Veteran royal correspondent Valentine Low spoke to The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show about Harry in his early days.
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A royal expert has said Prince Harry was ‘fun’ and ‘authentic’ before marrying Meghan MarkleCredit: Splash
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Valentine Low said Prince Harry was ‘fantastic and he was also unpredictable’Credit: Getty – Contributor
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Prince Harry ‘winning’ an Olympic sprint against runner Usain Bolt in Jamaica in 2012Credit: PA
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Valentine told The Sun’s Matt Wilkinson: “He [Harry] was fantastic to report on.
“One of the things about Harry is he has no filter. You always saw authentic Harry which was fantastic and he was also unpredictable.”
Valentine added that one of his favourite memories of Prince Harry was on an overseas trip abroad in 2012.
He shared: “One of my favourite days of royal reporting was in Jamaica in the tour in 2012 when Harry was on a race track with Usain Bolt and basically cheated and beat in the 50 yard dash.
“It was a fantastic, I think unscripted moment, certainly took Usain Bolt by surprise.
“Harry was also incredibly authentic and he’d take you to places that you wouldn’t normally go on a royal tour.
“In Brazil we basically went to this area called Cracolandia – which was inhabited by drug addicts and dealers – and Harry wanted to go there to shine a light on what these charities were doing to help these people.
“There was a lot of debate behind the scenes when they were drawing up the itinerary for the visit, but Harry wanted to go there.”
Valentine added that Harry has been “amazing in some ways” and that his team have often been driven by Harry’s “energy, vision and enthusiasm.”
Prince Harry started dating former Suits actress Meghan in 2016, and they later tied the knot at St George’s Chapel in 2018.
However, in 2020 the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the bombshell announcement that they were stepping back from royal duties.
They have now relocated to California, and live there with their two children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two.
Since stepping back from royal duties, Harry’s strained relationship with his family has been unveiled through his bombshell Spare memoir, and tell-all interviews with the likes of Oprah Winfrey.
In the controversial biography, Harry claimed Kate Middleton made Meghan cry, “grimaced” when Meghan asked to borrow her lip gloss, and had a furious bust-up over comments about her hormones.
One of the things about Harry is he has no filter. You always saw authentic Harry which was fantastic and he was also unpredictable
Valentine Low
Royal expert Jennie Bond now claims Prince William wouldn’t accept his brother back in the royal fold, as the trust has been broken.
She told The Times Radio: “The bricks that have been thrown, the insults, the allegations, the accusations, the hurt, the pain, the rift is too deep now between William and Harry, I think.
“I personally think William has more or less blotted Harry out of his mind, out of life, and is focused on his role, his family and what he has to do.
“And I think he regards Harry as a nonperson, really, in his life, which is terribly sad.”
Jennie said she doesn’t think there would be a chance of Prince Harry undertaking royal investitures in the UK and then flying back to his family and celebrity life in LA.
Prince Harry’s tense visits to Britain since Megxit
Relations between Charles and Harry were previously feared by some to be fractured beyond repair amid the fallout over their royal row.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun in December: “Charles and Harry’s relationship was at an all-time low before but this may have fractured it beyond all repair.
“It could spell the end game for them.”
Hopes of a reconciliation had been raised after Harry called Charles to wish him a happy 75th birthday last month and sent a video of the King’s US-based grandkids Archie, now four, and Lilibet, two.
And now, Harry will jet to the UK to be with his dad following the King’s shock cancer diagnosis.
Here’s a look inside their fractured relationship since Megxit.
January 2020 – Harry and Meghan make their ‘Megxit’ flight, leaving for Canada, eventually setting up home in California, USA.
March 2021 – Harry and Meghan give their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey where Harry accused his dad of cutting him off financially.
July 2021 Harry jets back to UK to join William in unveiling a statue to their mother Princess Diana in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
But sources claimed William didn’t want to attend the memorial amid their ongoing rift.
Pals said at the time: “William was still furious. He had taken the view that he’d only give so much. He just didn’t want to go there [with Harry].”
September 2022 – Harry jets to the UK for Prince Philip’s funeral. Meghan Markle, who was heavily pregnant at the time, was unable to attend due to doctor’s orders not to fly.
A pal of Harry’s tells Omid Scobie Harry met the Queen privately ‘at least twice’ and spoke with Charles and William after the Westminster Abbey service.
Kate acts as a “peacemaker” between William and Harry as they share a private chat.
September 2022 – The duke claimed he found out Queen Elizabeth had died in an online news alert.
He jetted to Balmoral without Meghan, and claimed in Spare that she was told she should not attend by Charles.
Harry travelled on a separate flight to his brother William – who travelled with the rest of the family.
The duke wrote in his memoir: “When the plane started to descend I saw that my phone lit up. It was a message from Meg: ‘Call me when you get this.’ I looked at the BBC website. My grandmother had died. My father was King.”
Harry and Meghan were sat behind Charles at the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.
March 2023 – Harry is told King Charles is “too busy” to see him while he’s in the UK for a privacy hearing, according to reports.
The Duke had jetted to the UK to attend a four-day preliminary hearing at the High Court in London regarding his battle with publisher Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
It was the first time the Prince was back on home soil since the Queen’s funeral.
Harry flew back to the US once the hearing was over.
April 2023 – Harry has a “heart-to-heart” talk with his dad before agreeing to come to the Coronation in London
The Duke travelled alone to attend the ceremony on May 6.
Harry headed straight back to the US following the coronation in Westminster Abbey.
He did not appear to speak to his brother William or sister-in-law Kate Middleton at the ceremony – taking a backseat and sitting in the third row at the ceremony.
September 2023 – Prince Harry visits the UK for the annual WellChild Awards, a charity of which he has been patron for 15 years.
But the Duke is not thought to have met his father, as the King had “no time” in his diary to see his son, MailOnline reported.
January 2024 – Harry flies to be with Charles after the monarch’s shock cancer diagnosis.
The two have their first meeting for more than 16 months at Clarence House, lasting 45 minutes.
Harry does not meet William and flies back to the US the following day.
She continued: “How would William feel? William, steadfast William, who has loyally stood by his father, who has stepped up to the plate when necessary.
“William would feel profoundly hurt, aggrieved. So that’s not going to happen.
“There’s an element of not letting the little brother have his cake and eat it, isn’t there?
“I think that he sort of shut that door and that’s a kind of coping mechanism of sorts.”
Jennie – who worked as BBC’s royal correspondent between 1989 and 2003, said she didn’t see the rift between the two brothers happening.
She added: “No, absolutely didn’t see this coming. And yes, we thought they were very, very supportive and protective of one another.”
It comes as Kate is recovering from her planned abdominal surgery on January 16.
Kate spent 13 days recovering at the private London Clinic – and is now being taken care of by William at home.
Meanwhile Prince Harry last week flew thousands of miles from his California home to be at the King’s side following his cancer shock.
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Prince Harry in 2012, before he stepped back as a senior working royal in 2020Credit: Getty Images – Getty
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Prince Harry has since fallen out with her brother Prince WilliamCredit: Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Prince Harry has repeatedly snubbed his family, including in his Spare memoirCredit: AP
