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The story came at the worst possible moment for the beleaguered Prince Harry: Hours after he suffered a stinging defeat as his $AU96 million phone hacking case against the Daily Mail was dismissed in full, juicy details of a weekend of “naughtiness” he shared with friends back in 2011 were reported for the first time by the very same outlet.
After being dragged into Harry’s doomed High Court case, journalist Charlotte Griffiths broke her silence to pen a long article about a “bawdy” and alcohol-fuelled shooting weekend she attended with him in Hampshire, UK, in December 2011.
Among the claims made by the Duke of Sussex’s former friend were that he was a “practical joker” who placed a “white pill” upon her tongue – which she said “was almost certainly paracetamol”. She also claimed Harry accidentally shot a white pheasant dead and kissed a girl who’d arrived “on the arm of one of his friends” during the festivities – something that was later “laughed off” by those in attendance.
Now, a source tells Woman’s Day that while a reeling Prince Harry “figured this could be in the works”, the Duke feels the timing of the tell-all is “terrible and deeply embarrassing on a number of levels”.
“He says it’s a trumped-up hatchet piece that’s clearly been prepped way in advance and saved till he was perceived to be at his lowest ebb, so [the Mail] could kick him in the guts whilst he’s already down,” the insider shares.
“He’s trying to rise above it but that’s easier said than done. Right now he’s feeling angry, confused and very fearful about the inevitable fallout whilst he figures out how best to deal with it.”
Indeed, Harry is in a delicate position having arrived in the UK solo on July 6 – leaving his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet at an undisclosed location in Europe due to security fears.
The Duke’s trip was meant to be shining a light on a cause close to his heart – the Invictus Games 2027 – however headlines have since been dominated by Harry’s court loss and an escalating drama over King Charles’ withdrawal of an offer to accommodate his wayward son in a royal residence during his stay.
Harry’s team said the invite was “withdrawn at the last moment”, however it’s understood that Charles asked Harry to signal his intent to stay in royal lodgings by Friday July 3, and his son remained undecided until after the date passed.
While a “visibly shaken” Harry ploughed on with his official commitments in the wake of his court loss on July 7, he banned some media from covering his trip to the Royal Hospital Chelsea a day later – citing soaring temperatures in London and limitations of hospital infrastructure.
However, an insider tells Woman’s Day that recent developments have touched “a real nerve” for the Prince, who is said to “hate” seeing how he’s been depicted.
In her story, Charlotte Griffiths asserted that she “rather liked” what she saw of the “old Harry” she met back in 2011.
“He could be mischievous, irreverent and occasionally exasperating, but he was also funny company,” she wrote.
“The man he has become is someone I barely recognise…”
The source tells Woman’s Day that Harry “hates this assertion that he’s no fun anymore, but what irks him even more is that people believe this stuff that’s touted around”.
“In this case he says it defies belief that this woman can purport to have ever really known him, let alone remembered all this vivid detail about their brief encounter all these years later. For him, they just hung out via mutual friends.
“The fact [Charlotte Griffiths] is passing comment and going above and beyond to dredge up the past and hit him over the head with it is really irritating and upsetting.”
The insider claims Harry would “love to hit back with his own recollections” but he’ll most likely just “suck it up and wait for the storm cloud to pass”.
“Of course he has a ton of other immediate fires to put out, so his advisors are pointing out that the last thing he needs is to give this story more oxygen,” the source adds.
“All Harry wants to do right now is focus on Invictus and put this type of nonsense to one side.”
There is, however, an added complication: the Duke’s desire to reconnect with his family and build bridges with King Charles.
That’s where, the source claims, new developments could have put a spanner in the works.
“The bigger worry is that all this fallout – from the legal case, then all the security and accommodation drama and now this tell-all – could well scupper the chances of a meet-up with his father,” they explain.
“It’s just one thing after another and the worry from Harry’s point of view, quite rightly, is that His Majesty will want to stay well clear.”
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