Jon Petrie Takes a Brutal Swipe at Prince Harry During BBC Comedy Festival Opener
The moment took place during the opening of BBC Comedy Festival in Liverpool.
Prince Harry is in the middle of a public joke yet again after BBC comedy chief Jon Petrie compared him to television’s ‘rebel sibling.’ It happened during the opening of the BBC Comedy Festival in Liverpool. As he shared his take on the position of comedy within the TV industry, Petrie described the genre as the ‘Prince Harry of the TV Royal Family.’
Later, Petrie jokingly added, "I won’t say who’s Andrew [Mountbatten-Windsor]," generating a massive roar of laughter. The swipe immediately began making headlines, as Harry has a reputation for being the monarchy’s most outspoken and unconventional royal. The argument came as Petrie stressed how comedy has historically struggled for recognition apart from prestigious television dramas. As per the BBC executive, he said comedy has been “having to fight harder than it should for attention, for status, and sometimes for survival.” Hence, he viewed comedy as TV’s “rebel sibling” and used Prince Harry’s complicated relationship with the firm as the central analogy. While the joke also mentioned Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the executive fell short of naming who he believed represented the disgraced royal within the TV industry.
Prince Harry’s rebellious nature has been firmly attached to him since stepping back from royal duties alongside his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020. Since then, they have relocated to California, and their interviews, public criticism, and documentaries have often made them the subject of satire across British and American TV. Harry’s decision to lay it all out bare in terms of royal tension, mental health struggles, and media intrusion has created a divide amongst the audience. While many have often praised his openness, some argue that he has damaged relationships within the monarchy.
Comedy shows have repeatedly targeted the Sussexes over the past year. During a recent episode of Saturday Night Live’s ‘Weekend Update’ segment, host Colin Jost joked that King Charles traveled to America to “seek release of a British hostage being held by an American terrorist” as a picture of both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared on screen. As per royal columnist Rob Shuter on his Naughty But Nice Substack, insiders revealed Markle was furious over the joke. One source claimed, “Meghan does not laugh when she feels publicly humiliated. She sees this as deliberate, cheap, and personal—and once she feels mocked, she shuts the door.”
The Sussexes have also been called out multiple times in various comedy sketches associated with royal tensions and their life in California. It’s only telling of how intense Harry’s public image has become with satire in the entertainment industry. While he was one of the monarchy’s most relatable young royals once, all due to his humor and informal personality, that same reputation has now made him an easy target for punchlines. Petrie’s remarks at the BBC comedy festival only brought attention again to how Harry continues to take a unique space in both royal history and modern pop culture conversation.
