Expert Says Harry’s BBC Interview Was to 'Send a Message' to Charles: ‘He Appeared To…’

Prince Harry sits down for an interview with the BBC on 2 May; (Inset) King Charles III leaves The London Clinic.
May 9 2025, Published 12:29 p.m. ET
Prince Harry did not mince his words when discussing his fractured relationship with King Charles in his bombshell interview. The Duke's sit-down with the BBC on 2 May came shortly after he lost his appeal for state-funded security. Chiming in on his claims, clinical psychiatrist Dr. Raj Persuad suggested that Harry’s statements were a calculated attempt to force a response from Charles and the rest of the royal family.
Dr. Persuad spoke to the Daily Express and dissected the deeper psychology behind the Duke’s scathing accusations. He told the outlet, “Prince Harry’s BBC interview was explosive enough to generate a new round of global headlines questioning his stability, his motives.” The expert added, “My instinct, given that one of the Duke’s many laments is his ongoing estrangement from the royals, is that his latest public outpouring was in fact an attempt to send a message to the King and other members of his family.”
One of Harry’s biggest claims was his admission that Charles refuses to take his calls. He told the BBC, “Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has, he won't speak to me because of this security stuff. It would be nice to reconcile.” Dr. Persuad believes the message beneath the surface may be more strategic than emotional. He explained, “Harry telling the royals: I will continue to make a splash in a way that, at best, is irritating, at worst damaging to The Firm, unless you start to take me and my grievances seriously.” The professional also opined that, with all the other forms of communication cut off, his public airing was meant to be an ‘emotional blackmail’ toward Charles.
In his interview, Harry shared that he was ‘devastated’ over his recent court loss. He further asserted that his family “signaled to every single government around the world not to protect” him and his wife and kids. Dr. Persuad brought up the tragic death of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, and suggested that this trauma could be impacting his decision-making. The expert said, “His emotions were on display. He appeared to have been caught off balance by the result…I would suggest respectfully needs help to move on and really start a process of rapprochement with his family.” However, the psychologist remains skeptical whether the Duke really wishes to heal from his trauma, given his repeated assertions in interviews.
Harry, in his sit-down with the BBC, also revealed that he doesn’t see a future where he’d bring his wife and children back to the UK, having lost his security appeal. He shared, “I miss the UK…And I think that it is really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.” Commenting on the same, Dr. Persuad opined that Harry was “in denial that his protestation of ‘inferior treatment’ had not convinced the senior judge.”