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Royal Reporter Breaks Silence on Harry’s Outburst Over Simple Question: ‘He Looked Really...'

Royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills recalled being on the receiving end of Prince Harry’s anger after she asked him a simple question.

Prince Harry has opened up about his difficult experiences with the media invading his privacy since childhood. The Duke of Sussex has often spoken about the dark side of being in the spotlight, which he believes played a role in the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana. His frustration with the media reportedly resurfaced during a 2019 trip to South Africa. Royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills claimed that Harry gave her a dressing down and stormed off after she asked what she felt was a harmless question about the purpose of his visit.

Before Harry stepped down alongside Meghan Markle in 2020, he took a solo trip to Angola and Malawi in Southern Africa. Speaking on The Sun's Royal Exclusive show, Mills said, "It was a terrible question. It was a rubbish question. I just sort of said, 'Oh, why is it so important for you to come here?' And he looked at me and said, 'Oh, well, just go and ask those people over there.'" After Mills decided to reiterate her question, she claimed Harry turned around and just said, "Rhiannon, don't behave like that." She added, "And then he got in his car and drove off. I felt like I'd looked like an idiot. He looked really patronizing. Nobody came out of it looking good."

Hours before the Duke's outburst, he had talked to health officials and children suffering from malaria and Aids before being whisked to a waiting vehicle by Palace officials. Mills claimed that she landed in hot water with his team for her persuasive behavior. She explained, "It was when we got back to Johannesburg and it was that evening that that letter dropped, the 10 paragraph letter, accusing the Royal Press Pack of everything under the sun and saying that 'We're gonna sue the Mail on Sunday.'" She added, "So immediately I just realised, I frankly kicked the bear and I just didn't realize it at the time."

Mills was referring to an earlier statement by Harry that was released on his website, where he spoke of the 'relentless propaganda' directed at Markle. He had announced plans to take legal action against the Mail for publishing private letters between Markle and her estranged father, Thomas. The correspondent also spoke about the cordial bond she once shared with the Prince before the unfortunate incident occurred. She said, "I did this interview with him, he said, 'I'd love to have kids right now'... It wasn't a friendship, it was friendliness, but he was always really helpful."

Prince Harry has spoken against the media and the harm they caused his wife and late mother. As per People magazine, he condemned the methods used to obtain the BBC’s Panorama interview with Diana, saying its exploitative nature helped contribute to the "ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices [that] ultimately took her life." He has also accused Buckingham Palace of treating Markle's media abuse as a 'rite of passage' that every royal had to endure.