Two Russian YouTubers are claiming they pranked Prince Harry into giving a candid interview about a number of issues surrounding the Royal Family – twice!
Posing as teen activist Greta Thunberg and her father, YouTuber duo Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov reportedly made calls to Prince Harry and Meghan’s home in Victoria Island in Canada on New Year’s Eve and January 22.
The recording was initially uploaded on their YouTube channel, but appears to have since been deleted. In the calls, Prince Harry is said to have opened up about their decision to step back as senior member of the Royal Family.
“I can assure you, marrying a Prince or Princess is not all it’s made out to be! But sometimes the right decision isn’t always the easy one,” Prince Harry reportedly said, per The Sun.
“And this decision certainly wasn’t the easy one but it was the right decision for our family, the right decision to be able to protect my son,” the duke added. “And I think there’s a hell of a lot of people around the world that can identify and respect us for putting our family first.”
He is also said to have opened up about his normal life, as opposed to life as a royal. “I think it’s much better,” he said laughing, adding, “I was in the military for ten years so I’m more normal than my family would like to believe. But certainly being in a different position now gives us the ability to say things and do things that we might not have been able to do. And seeing as everyone under the age of 35 or 36, seems to be carrying out an activist’s role, gives us the opportunity to try and make more of a difference without being criticized.”
When asked about the issues surrounding his uncle, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry reportedly replied, “I have very little to say on that. But whatever he has done or hasn’t done, is completely separate from me and my wife. We operate in a way of inclusivity and we are focusing on community. And so we are completely separate from the majority of my family.”
So far, news outlets have not been able to verify the authenticity of the recordings, and Buckingham Palace has yet to respond to requests for comments.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have recently completed their public engagements as senior royals on Monday (March 9), joining the Queen and other senior royals – the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. From 31 March, they will stop using their HRH titles and receiving public money.
