The sixth season of The Crown upon us, drawing to a close one of the most internationally successful British dramas of all time.
Three casts of actors have played Queen Elizabeth II and her family since the show debuted in 2016, covering some of the most significant moments in recent history through the lens of the British monarchy.
Advertisement
As the Emmy-winning show returns to screens for the final time, we’ve looked back at The Crown’s seven year legacy to bring you the behind-the-scenes facts you never knew about the show…
1. It costs a lot to make
In January this year, Forbes reported that season five of The Crown became the most expensive instalment in the history of the show, with production costs reaching $143.3 million (£115.7 million) according to financial statements.
That brought Sony’s Left Bank Pictures (LBP) division, which makes The Crown, to a total of $504 million (£407.1 million) spent on royal drama since it premiered in 2016.
2. Olivia Colman really struggled with one detail when it came to playing The Queen
Queen Elizabeth II was famously stoic. Olivia Colman, on the other hand, is not. That meant she struggled to maintain a stiff upper lip in the more emotional scenes.
Advertisement
“My problem is, I emote,” Olivia told Variety. “The Queen is not meant to do it. She’s got to be a rock for everyone, and [has] been trained not to. We’ve discovered that I can’t do it. But I’ve come up with a little trick. It’s sort of shameful.”
But the team found a way around this so that, whenever Olivia had to react to a sad scene, they would give her an earpiece and play the shipping forecast – a BBC Radio broadcast of the weather and seas around the British Isles.
“I’m sort of not listening to what [the other actors are] saying. I’m trying so hard to tune into the shipping forecast and not cry,” she said.
3. Josh O’Connor and Emma Corrin had very simple tactics to get into character
The two actors portrayed younger versions of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, respectively, in season four of the crown. They revealed some effective strategies to snap into character while on The Graham Norton Show. Josh noted that he would replicate a body language sequence that he claimed the now King still did as of three years ago. He noticed when emerging from a car, Charles would touch both cufflinks of his sleeves, check his pocket square, then wave.
Emma’s trick to get into Diana’s voice was to speak with a certain rhythm where the tone always went down at the end. The specific word to help them get into the character was “alright”.
","type":"video","meta":{"author":"The Graham Norton Show","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4PziMH5MvvsmqM0VCZTy-g","cache_age":86400,"description":"Josh O’Connor & Emma Corrin show off how they get into the roles of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.\n\n #TheCrown\n\n#TheGNShow #TheGrahamNortonShow #GrahamNorton\n\nFollow us!\n\nFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/thegrahamnortonshow/?ref=page_internal \nInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/thegrahamnortonshowofficial/\nTwitter – https://twitter.com/TheGNShowFollow us here:\nFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegrahamnortonshow/\nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegrahamnortonshowofficial/\nTwitter: https://twitter.com/TheGNShow\nTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegnshow\nSnapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/The_Graham_Norton_Show/3773416663","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tiuyMC5CDTA/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"How Josh O’Connor & Emma Corrin Get Into Character For Prince Charles & Princess Diana","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiuyMC5CDTA","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"6557719ce4b0998d699ff404","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-crown-behind-the-scenes-facts-trivia-filming-secrets_uk_6557719ce4b0998d699ff404","entryTagsList":"uktv,we-love-tv,the-crown,olivia-colman,prince-charles,emma-corrin,claire-foy,josh-oconnor,imelda-staunton,peter-morgan,behind-the-screens","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":42},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_slideshow":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"6557719ce4b0998d699ff404","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"uktv","slug":"uktv","links":{"relativeLink":"news/uktv","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/uktv","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/uktv"},"section":{"title":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"topic":{"title":"UK TV","slug":"uktv","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/uktv/"},{"name":"we love tv","slug":"we-love-tv","links":{"relativeLink":"news/we-love-tv","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"We Love TV","slug":"we-love-tv","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv/"},{"name":"The Crown","slug":"the-crown","links":{"relativeLink":"news/the-crown","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-crown","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-crown"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-crown/"},{"name":"olivia colman","slug":"olivia-colman","links":{"relativeLink":"news/olivia-colman","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/olivia-colman","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/olivia-colman"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/olivia-colman/"},{"name":"Prince Charles","slug":"prince-charles","links":{"relativeLink":"news/prince-charles","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/prince-charles","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/prince-charles"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/prince-charles/"},{"name":"emma corrin","slug":"emma-corrin","links":{"relativeLink":"news/emma-corrin","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/emma-corrin","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/emma-corrin"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/emma-corrin/"},{"name":"Claire Foy","slug":"claire-foy","links":{"relativeLink":"news/claire-foy","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/claire-foy","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/claire-foy"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/claire-foy/"},{"name":"josh o’connor","slug":"josh-oconnor","links":{"relativeLink":"news/josh-oconnor","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/josh-oconnor","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/josh-oconnor"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/josh-oconnor/"},{"name":"imelda staunton","slug":"imelda-staunton","links":{"relativeLink":"news/imelda-staunton","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/imelda-staunton","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/imelda-staunton"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/imelda-staunton/"},{"name":"Peter Morgan","slug":"peter-morgan","links":{"relativeLink":"news/peter-morgan","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/peter-morgan","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/peter-morgan"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/peter-morgan/"},{"name":"behind the screens","slug":"behind-the-screens","links":{"relativeLink":"news/behind-the-screens","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/behind-the-screens","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/behind-the-screens"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/behind-the-screens/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
4. Claire Foy, Matt Smith and Vanessa Kirby sometimes stayed in the accents on set
They may all have British accents, but speaking in the Queen’s English was a much more challenging task for Claire Foy, Matt Smith (Prince Philip) and Vanessa Kirby (Princess Margaret). To help ensure their voices remained accurate and convincing, the cast sometimes chose to just speak in the dialect on the set, as revealed by Vanessa in an interview with MTV.
5. Actors would watch silent clips of the royals to capture their mannerisms
As part of their preparations to step into their roles, the cast were instructed by supervising dialect coach William Conacher to watch video clips with no volume, in order to focus on their body language. “First thing I say is nobody needs to do an impression and I don’t believe anybody ever has on this show,” he toldReuters.
“It’s more about analysing what the face does, what the mouth does, what the head does, and then letting your voice come through that shape.”
6. Claire Foy was able to get into character with a single word
Claire Foy getting final touches before the scene
Advertisement
When Claire Foy needed to nail the cut glass English accent of a young Queen Elizabeth II, she would simply utter “one” with her lips turned down, she shared to MTV. It clearly worked, as the actor went on to win two Emmys and Golden Globe for her performance.
7. But she initially feared she’d made a terrible mistake joining the show
It’s no secret that The Crown features a huge variety of filming locations, including the royals’ Balmoral home in the Scottish highlands. It turns out this was a huge undertaking for new mum Claire Foy, who was still breastfeeding during filming.
“On the first day of filming, I found myself halfway up a Scottish mountain with engorged boobs and no way of getting down to feed my baby,” she told British Vogue. “I had to ring my husband and tell him to give her formula… as I sat in a Land Rover trying to get my broken breast pump to work, I felt I’d made the worst mistake of my life.”
The actor said it felt like someone had “stamped on my heart” when she realised she couldn’t properly feed her child. She also shared on the The Graham Norton Show that she felt she was “such a huge idiot” and a “lunatic” for going back to work four months after giving birth.
8. She was almost overlooked for the role altogether
It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the first Queen Elizabeth, but Claire Foy apparently didn’t make too much of an impression early on in the cast process.
Writer Peter Morgan told Variety that it was only after four read-throughs – during which he’d only attended to watch “actress A or B” – that he noticed Claire. “This one is sensational, who’s this?” he asked, before being told, “Pete, she’s been in four times. And you’ve gone for a better-known actress.”
9. Felicity Jones reportedly auditioned to play The Queen
Felicity Jones
ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images
Back in 2014 (The Crown came out in 2016), the Mirror reported that Rogue One star Felicity Jones portrayed a young Queen Elizabeth in a special reading of early scripts for the show.
Apparently actors were hand picked to read for executives from Netflix. An executive told The Mirror at the time that they were “just beginning the process”.
Advertisement
10. Elizabeth Debicki auditioned for much smaller role in season two before landing Princess Diana
Princess Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki in The Crown
Des Willie/Netflix
While Elizabeth Debicki’s casting as the people’s princess in season five and six of The Crown feels spot on, but Elizabeth Debicki originally had her sights set on a much smaller role.
The actor didn’t reveal what role it was she auditioned for, but told Glamour that “it was not anything you would imagine. When my agent said, “Go and audition for this,” I was like, “Really? Okay.”
She explained: “I auditioned for a small role in season two. I went in for the part, and the people in the room saw something in that audition that was wrong for the role I was auditioning for and right for Diana. So it was very unexpected for me. And then over the few years that followed that, I had hoped that it would come around, but I didn’t know for sure. And then it did.”
11. Some of the cast have already played royals
The royal family are some of the most challenging roles any actor could play. But some in The Crown cast had already played royals. Claire Foy, for example, played Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall.
Advertisement
Olivia Colman, who took over as an older Queen Elizabeth in season three, played the 18th century Queen Anne in The Favourite 2018, which won her an Oscar. She also played the Queen Mother in Hyde Park on Hudson.
12. Claire Foy was originally paid less than Matt Smith
Matt Smith and Claire Foy
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images
The gender pay gap was very present in the first season of The Crown. During the INTV Conference in Jerusalem in 2018, producers Suzanne Mackie and Andy Harries were asked if Claire Foy was paid more than Matt Smith. They acknowledged that he did make more due to his Doctor Who fame, according to Variety, but said they would rectify that in the future. “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen,” said Mackie.
It seemed the show did address this in future seasons, with Tobias Menzies telling Harper’s Bazaar in 2019 that “my understanding is, that this time round, I’m paid less than Olivia”.
13. Dominic West almost quit a charity role over his casting as Prince Charles
Dominic West as Prince Charles in The Crown
Advertisement
It’s no easy feat to portray such an important and recognisable public figure – one who would go on to become the king, no less. In a bid to keep things professional, Dominic West offered to quit his position as an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in case there was a conflict of interest. But his request was turned down by Charles’ private secretary. The letter essentially said, per Radio Times: “You do what you like, you’re an actor. It’s nothing to do with us.”
West added: “I think that’s probably how [Charles] regards it. I’ve been in a line to shake his hand a few times and it’s fascinating. It’s very useful to meet the character you’re playing, obviously.”
14. Elizabeth Debicki found the fake paparazzi “incredibly invasive”
Princess Diana was infamously hounded by paparazzi after her divorce from Prince Charles, and it turns out even Elizabeth Debicki struggled with reenacting that.
“It was difficult to recreate,” she told Netflix (via Variety). “It was heavy and very manic, and incredibly invasive. And it had a kind of pressure to it,” she added, describing it as a “really unpleasant experience”
15. The portrayal of Diana’s death was approached very carefully
There are many shocking moments throughout The Crown, but Diana’s death was the episode that creators faced the most pressure with when it came to striking the right tone.
Advertisement
Season six depicts her 1997 trip to Paris with boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed, which ended in tragedy when they were involved in a fatal car crash after being chased by paparazzi.
When Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, filming on the show was temporarily paused. “As a mark of respect, filming on The Crown was suspended today. Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral,” Netflix said in a statement.
17. Imelda Staunton struggled to return to work after the Queen’s death
Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth during the penultimate series of The Crown
“We carried on with as much dignity and grace as they have always had on The Crown, but obviously there was a very different temperature in the world, in England and even more so on set.”
She added: “We couldn’t do anything differently; I had to carry on. But we were all a wee bit sad.”
18. There was one character the show’s costume designer really wanted to get right
The Crown’s fourth season may have got through 400 different costumes, but the one designer that Amy Roberts struggled with most didn’t belong to a royal. Rather, it was palace intruder Michael Fagan, who makes his way into the Queen’s bedroom and laments about his economic and social hopelessness.
“I so wanted to get the character of him right,” Amy told Glamour. “I didn’t want to fail what he was about and what a broken Britain was about.”
19. A heist on the set in 2022 saw over 350 props stolen from the show
It turns out that even the props used on The Crown are worth a lot. Back in February 2022, over $200,000 worth of props from the set were stolen while the production was shooting nearby. Among the 350 items stolen were a replica Fabergé egg, a grandfather clock clockface and crystal glassware. It occurred when three vehicles were broken into in a lorry park in Mexborough in Yorkshire, according to Variety.
20. Prince Harry actually fact checks the show
It’s the question everyone wants to know the answer to. Do the real royal family watch The Crown? It turns out that not only has Prince Harry watched the show, but he even fact checks it. “Yes, I have actually watched The Crown,” he told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, clarifying, “the older stuff and the more recent stuff.”
Advertisement
When asked if he does any “fact-checking” while watching the series, he replied, “Yes, I do, actually. Which, by the way, is another reason why it’s so important that history has it right.”
Prince Harry even addressed Matt Smith as “grandad” once, according to the actor, who plays a young Prince Philip. “He’d watched the show,” Matt said on The Today Show.
Harry also admitted to James Corden that he watched the series. “I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself… They don’t pretend to be news, it’s fictional,” he said.
“But it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course it’s not strictly accurate, but… it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.”
Advertisement
21. The Queen watched it too, apparently
While Buckingham Palace has never officially confirmed it, the late Queen Elizabeth II also reportedly enjoyed watching the series. “I heard the Queen had watched it,” Matt Smith told Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on the Today Show. “And she used to watch it on a projector on Sunday night, apparently.”
However the actor said he knew that “Philip definitely didn’t” after a friend asked the late royal during a dinner party if he had watched the show. “Don’t be ridiculous,” the Duke Of Edinburgh apparently replied.
Royal commentator George Jobson made the same claim during the ABC broadcast of the Queen’s Elizabeth’s funeral coverage.
Actor Matt Smith, who famously played Prince Philip in the Netflix series “The Crown,” talks about his real-life interactions with members of the royal family.
22. Camilla joked about The Crown when she met Dominic West
Prince Harry isn’t the only one to have addressed an actor from the crown with their on screen names. Dominic West told Radio Times that when the now Queen Consort met him at a party in 2021, she jokingly called him “Your Majesty”, seemingly in a nod of approval at the casting.
Advertisement
23. Paul Bettany was almost cast as Prince Philip for Seasons 3 and 4
Paul Bettany
Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images
The Avengers star was reportedly nearing a deal to replace Matt Smith as Prince Philip back in 2018. However, just days after the news emerged, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that sources said the actor had a scheduling conflict and was no longer able to take over the role.
24. The first language of the new Prince Harry actor is Welsh
14-year-old Fflyn Edwards, who plays a young Prince Harry in the final season of The Crown, experienced a bigger learning curve on set than most – having to speak English all day. The young actor is from Carmarthenshire and his first language is Welsh.
“Talking in English for a long time does make me miss the language, and speaking to someone [in Welsh] does feel like home,” he told the BBC.
The Crown season six part one is streaming on Netflix now, with part two dropping on 14 December.
Prince Harry has given the world access to his own life like no royal ever has before – and not just through his new memoir Spare.
The Duke of Sussex has gone on a bombshell-filled media tour to promote his autobiography, from intense 90 minutes with ITV to a tequila-fuelled more light-hearted appearance on late night US TV.
Advertisement
Here’s a round-up of some of the most insightful things the royal said.
Released: January 8
via Associated Press
Prince Harry, left, speaking during an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby for the programme Harry: The Interview.
1. Harry accused some royals of ‘getting into bed with the devil’
“After many, many years of lies being told about me and my family, there comes a point where again, going back to the relationship between certain members of the family and the tabloid press, those certain members have decided to get into bed with the devil,” the Duke claimed.
“If you need to do that, or you want to do that, you choose to do that – well, that is a choice. That’s up to you.
“But the moment that rehabilitation comes at the detriment of others – me, other members of my family – then that’s where I draw the line.”
Advertisement
2. Harry denies that he ever suggested the Royal Family was racist
When Bradby noted that the Duke of Sussex had “accused members of your family of racism” in the Winfrey interview, Harry pushed back.
“No, I didn’t. The British press said that,” Harry said. “Did Meghan ever mention that they’re racist?”
Bradby mentioned Meghan’s revelation that “there were troubling comments about Archie’s skin colour”.
“There was concern about his skin colour,” Harry replied.
“Right. Wouldn’t you describe that as essentially racist?” Bradby followed up.
“I wouldn’t,” Harry said. “Not having lived within that family.”
“The difference between racism and unconscious bias, the two things are different,” he continued. “But once it’s been acknowledged, or pointed out to you as an individual, or as an institution, that you have unconscious bias, you therefore have an opportunity to learn and grow from that in order so that you are part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Otherwise, unconscious bias then moves into the category of racism.”
Advertisement
3. Harry wants Charles and William ‘back’
Harry says he wants “a family, not an institution”, and says “they’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile”.
He also talks about King Charles and Prince William. “I would like to get my father back,” he says. “I would like to have my brother back.”
But, Harry added, “At the moment, I don’t recognise them,” he said of his father and brother, noting: “As much as they probably don’t recognise me.”
4. William ordered Harry to shave his beard off for his wedding
The Duke revealed that his older sibling had ordered him to go clean shaven for his 2018 wedding.
He explained: “I think there’s a level of competition there. I remembered that William had a beard himself and that Granny, and other people, the ones to tell him – told him that he had to shave it off.”
He said the difference was that the beard was “a shield to my anxiety” – but that he thought William still “found it hard that other people told him to shave it off”.
Advertisement
5. Harry and Meghan ‘love’ Lady Susan Hussey
Hussey, a former royal aide, was criticised last year for making racist comments towards charity boss Ngozi Fulani at the Palace, and subsequently stepped down.
Harry touched on the incident in his interview and said he was “very happy” that the Palace had organised a reconciliatory meeting between the two parties, as he and Meghan “love Susan Hussey”.
He added: “And I also know that what she meant – she never meant any hard at all. But the response from the British press, and from people online because of the stories that they wrote was horrendous.”
He said he and Meghan had only ever wanted the same kind of “accountability” from the royals – but pointed out the Palace had not even introduced the diversity tsar they had promised to back in 2021.
“I’ve always been open to wanting to help them understand their part in it, and especially when you are the monarchy – you have a responsibility, and quite rightly people hold you to a higher standard than others.”
Advertisement
6. Harry’s fury over Jeremy Clarkson’s column – and the Palace’s inaction
Clarkson faced a widespread backlash in December when he wrote in an opinion column for The Sun that he “hates” the Duchess of Sussex on a “cellular level”.
Speaking to ITV, the Duke of Sussex brought up the piece of his own accord while discussing “accountability”.
Harry said: “Not only was what he said horrific, and is hurtful and cruel towards my wife, but it also encourages other people around the UK, and around the world – men particularly – to think that it’s acceptable to treat women that way.
“To use my stepmother’s words recently as well, there is a global pandemic of violence against women.”
He also said he was frustrated by the royals’ silence, while his wife continues to receive criticism from the press. He said: “The world is asking for some form of comment from the monarchy but the silence is deafening. To put it mildly.
Advertisement
“Everything to do with my wife, after six years, they haven’t said a single thing.”
7. Harry defends writing about his family
On why now felt like the right time to write his memoir, Harry told Bradby: “38 years of having my story told by so many different people with intentional spin and distortion felt like a good time to own my story and be able to tell it for myself.
“You know, I don’t, I don’t think that if I was still part of the institution that I would have been given this chance to.
“So, I’m actually really grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to tell my story because it’s my story to tell.”
Asked what his brother would have to say after reading Spare, Harry continued: “He’d probably say all sorts of different things.
“But you know, for the last however many years, let’s just focus on the last six years, the level of planting and leaking from other members of the family means that in my mind they have written countless books – certainly millions of words have been dedicated to trying to trash my wife and myself to the point of where I had to leave my country.”
Advertisement
8. Harry rejects claims he has burnt his bridges
Bradby put to Harry that he’d not so much “burned bridges” with his family as “taken a flamethrower to them”, although that’s now how the Duke saw it.
“Silence only allows the abuser to abuse. I’m not sure how honesty is burning bridges,” he replied.
9. Harry is still hopeful of a family reconciliation
“I genuinely believe, and I hope, that reconciliation between my family and us will have a ripple effect across the entire world,” he said. “Maybe that’s lofty, maybe that’s naïve, whatever. But I genuinely feel that.
“And knowing the monarchy as I know it from something that I was brought up in, for me it’s always been about uniting people.”
However, he added: “They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile up until this point.”
10. Harry said the royals ‘stereotyped’ Meghan
Harry said William and Kate never got on with Meghan “from the get-go”, and that there was “a lot” of stereotyping her as a “divorced biracial American actress”.
Anderson Cooper: 60 Minutes, CBS
Released: January 8
CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images
Harry sat down with Anderson Cooper for the show, 60 Minutes
Advertisement
11. Harry says he was ‘probably bigoted’ before meeting Meghan
The Duke was touching on the struggles many newcomers to the royal family face when he said: “What Meghan had to go through, in some part, was similar to what Kate and Camilla went through.”
However, he added that the women faced “very different circumstances”.
“But then you add in the race element, which was what the press – the British press – jumped on straightaway. I went into this incredibly naive.
“I had no idea the British press were so bigoted. How I was probably bigoted before the relationship with Meghan.”
“You think you were bigoted before the relationship with Meghan?” Cooper pressed.
“I don’t know,” Harry answered. “Put it this way – I didn’t see what I now see.”
12. Harry didn’t believe Diana was actually dead ‘for a long time’
He said for “many many years” he did not believe she had actually died, adding: “I refused to accept she was gone.”
13. Harry claimed again that Palace leak royal stories
Harry spoke about leaks to the press and the royal family’s motto of “never complain, never explain”, while claiming that some royal correspondents are “spoon-fed information” to write stories.
Advertisement
“At the bottom of it, they will say that they’ve reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. But the whole story is Buckingham Palace commenting,” he told Cooper. “So when we’re being told for the last six years, ‘We can’t put a statement out to protect you’ – but you do it for other members of the family. There becomes a point when silence is betrayal.”
14. He has no plans to return as a full-time member of the royal family
The Duke of Sussex also gave a firm “no” when Cooper asked in a separate clip if he would ever return as a full-time member of the royal family.
15. Harry admits he has not spoken to Camilla, Charles or William recently
Harry said that he and Camilla “haven’t spoken for a long time”.
Asked if he was texting William, Harry replied: “Currently, no. But I look forward to – I look forward to us being able to find peace.”
“How long has it been since you spoke?” Cooper said.
“A while,” the Duke of Sussex answered.
He gave a similar answer when asked about communication with his father. “We aren’t – we haven’t spoken for quite a while. Um, no, not recently.”
16. He gave a confusing depiction of his relationship with Camilla
Talking about her supposed closeness with the media, he said: “She was the villain. She was the third person in their marriage. She needed to rehabilitate her image.
Advertisement
“That made her dangerous because of the connections she was forging within the British press. And there was open willingness on both sides to trade information.”
However, he also said: “I love every member of my family, despite the differences. So, when I see her, we’re perfectly pleasant with each other,” he said with a smile. “She’s my stepmother. I don’t look at her as an evil stepmother.”
“I see someone who has married into this institution and done everything that she can to improve her reputation and her own image, for her own sake,” he continued.
17. Harry says he and Meghan will apologise for any wrongdoing
When Cooper asked if the “rupture” between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the royal family could be healed, the Duke answered “absolutely”.
“The ball is very much in their court,” he explained. “Meghan and I have continued to say that we will openly apologise for anything that we did wrong, but every time we ask that question, no one’s telling us the specifics or anything. There needs to be a constructive conversation, one that can happen in private that doesn’t get leaked.”
Advertisement
18. The Duke dismissed the idea of giving up royal titles
“Why not renounce your titles as Duke and Duchess?” Cooper also asked Harry directly.
“And what difference would that make?” Harry retorted.
19. Harry was not invited to share the plane which took royals to see Queen before her death
Harry arrived several hours after his relatives in Scotland, where the Queen died, despite also being in the south of England when his family left to see the dying matriarch.
He claimed: “I asked my brother – I said, ‘What are your plans? How are you and Kate getting up there?’ And then, a couple of hours later, you know, all of the family members that live within the Windsor and Ascot area were jumping on a plane together, a plane with 12, 14, maybe 16 seats.
“I was not invited.”
Prince Harry: In His Own Words with Michael Strahan, ABC
Released: January 9
via Associated Press
Prince Harry during an interview with “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan in Los Angeles.
20. Queen was not angry about him leaving royal life
The Queen never told Harry she was angry about him changing role, according to the royal.
He said he thought she was “sad” about it, but “it was never a surprise to anybody, least of all to her”.
“She knew what was going on. She knew how hard it was. She never said to me that she was angry. I think she was sad that it got to that point.”
Advertisement
21. Diana would be ‘heartbroken’ if she knew about the brothers’ rift
“I think she would be heartbroken about the fact that William, his office were part of these [negative] stories,” he said. “I think she’d be looking at it long-term to know that there are certain things that we need to go through to be able to heal the relationship.”
22. Harry admitted partial responsibility to relationship breakdown with William
Strahan asked if Harry had any responsibility for the breakdown of the relationship with his brother. The Duke of Sussex replied: “Without question, I’m sure.”
“But what people don’t know is the efforts I’ve gone to to resolve this privately,” he continued. “Both with my brother and with my father.”
23. Harry refutes the idea that the book would make rift worse
“I thought about it long and hard, and as far as I see it the divide couldn’t be greater before this book.”
23. Harry’s not ‘angry any more’
The royal said: “I am exactly where I am supposed to be.” But he admitted that not reconciling with his family would be “very sad”.
Advertisement
If that were the case, Harry said, he would focus on his life and family in California.
24. Sussexes would support the Commonwealth
Harry ruled out the possibility of returning to the UK as a working royal, explaining: “Even if there was an agreement or an arrangement between me and my family, there is that third party that is going to do everything they can to make sure that that isn’t possible.”
That was presumably an allusion to the UK press.
He added: “If there was something in the future where we can continue to support the Commonwealth, then that’s of course on the table.”
He also revealed that he made a “hybrid” proposal for Sussexes to split time between Canada and UK but there was no compromise. He said this was “really sad because I still to this day believe that this was entirely possible”.
25. Harry said he was speaking out to help protect other royal children
He said his role in the line of succession was “used against me for a long part of my life”, and that he worries about other “young kids” still in the institution.
“There are some people, especially in the UK, who have been led to believe that because you are a member of the royal family, somehow everyone owns you or has a stake in you,” he said.
Advertisement
“And that’s a message that has been purely pushed out by the British tabloids, and it creates real problems within that family and that relationship.”
Harry added: “Of course, there has to be some sort of relationship, but where it’s got too now is incredibly unhealthy.”
He said he hoped he could help future generations. “I also worry about other young kids within that family if this continues,” he said.
26. Harry refuted claims he sees Camilla as ‘evil stepmother’
He said: “I love every member of my family… so when I see her we’re perfectly pleasant with each other.
“She’s my stepmother. I don’t see her as an evil stepmother, I think she’s someone who married into this institution and done everything she can to improve her own reputation, her own image, for her own sake.”
Advertisement
27. Harry rejected hypocrisy claims
Strahan pointed out: “There are going to be people who say ‘Why don’t they either be in or get out, because if you get out there’s no hypocrisy’.”
Harry said: “I can’t ever get out and I’m incredibly aware of my position.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the life that I’ve had and continue to live.
“But there’s no version of me being ever able to get out of this. I was stunned that my family would allow security to be taken away, especially at the most vulnerable point for us.”
He added that writing the book was his only way to protect his family by correcting mistruths: “I fully accept that writing a book is feeding the beast anyway.”
28. Harry ‘genuinely’ believes in the monarchy still
But, he called for it to be reformed and modernised, saying: “I think the same process that I went through regarding my own unconscious bias would be hugely beneficial to them.
“It’s not racism, but unconscious bias if not confronted, if not acknowledged, if not learned and grown from, that can then move into racism.”
Advertisement
People magazine cover
Released: January 10
29. Diana is his ‘guardian angel’
“I struggled for years to accept or even speak about my mother’s death. I was unable to process that she was gone. I’m not sure anyone can ever truly have closure when they lose a parent, or anyone for that matter, especially when that grief may be the only thing left of them,” he told People.
“The healing process has allowed me to get to a place where I now feel the presence of my mum more than ever before. She’s with me all the time – my guardian angel.”
30. He wants his kids to have a relationship with the royals
“I’ve said before that I’ve wanted a family, not an institution – so of course, I would love nothing more than for our children to have relationships with members of my family, and they do with some, which brings me great joy,” he said.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS
Released: January 10
via Associated Press
Harry with host Stephen Colbert during a taping of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”.
Advertisement
31. Prince Harry blasts ‘dangerous lie’ he ‘boasted’ about Taliban killings
Harry slammed reports that he “somehow boasted about the number of people that I killed in Afghanistan” and called it “the most dangerous lie”.
“If I heard anyone boasting about that kind of thing, I would be angry. But it’s a lie. And hopefully now that the book is out, people will be able to see the context. It’s really troubling and very disturbing that they can get away with it. They had the context. It wasn’t like, ‘Here’s just one line.’”
Harry told Colbert that “the reason why I decided to share this in my book” was to “reduce the number of suicides” in the soldier and veteran communities.
Harry claimed this was a dangerous lie because it makes you “an increased target”, alleging this was a “choice” the media made.
32. Harry ‘fact-checks’ The Crown
The royal confirmed that he watched both “the older stuff and the more recent stuff” aired on the dramatised Netflix series.
Advertisement
Asked if he did any fact-checking, he said: “Yes, I do, actually. Which, by the way, is another reason why it’s so important that history has it right.”
33. Harry believes royals are trying to ‘undermine’ his book
Colbert asked Harry if he believed there was an “active campaign by the rest of your family, by the royal house…to undermine this book”.
The royal replied: “Of course, mainly by the British press.”
Colbert pushed the question again, this time adding if the UK media was “aided and abetted by the Palace”.
He said: “Yes, again, of course. This is the other side of the story, right?
“After 38 years, they have told their side of the story. This is the other side of the story, and there’s a lot in there that, perhaps, makes people feel uncomfortable and scared.”
34. If Diana were still alive, he and William would be in a different place
Harry claimed that if his mother were still alive, his relationship with his brother would be different.
Advertisement
He said: “It’s impossible to say where we would be now, where those relationships would be now, but there is no way that the distance between my brother and I would be the same.”
HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development.
Your personal data that may be used
Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address
Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps
To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select ‘I agree‘, or select ‘Manage settings‘ for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls.
HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. Click ‘I agree‘ to allow Verizon Media and our partners to use cookies and similar technologies to access your device and use your data (including location) to understand your interests, and provide and measure personalised ads. We will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products. Learn more about how we use your data in our Privacy Centre. Once you confirm your privacy choices here, you can make changes at any time by visiting your Privacy dashboard.
Click ‘Learn more‘ to learn and customise how Verizon Media and our partners collect and use data.
HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. Verizon Media and our partners need your consent to access your device and use your data (including location) to understand your interests, and provide and measure personalised ads. Verizon Media will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products. Learn more.
How Verizon Media and our partners bring you better ad experiences
To give you a better overall experience, we want to provide relevant ads that are more useful to you. For example, when you search for a film, we use your search information and location to show the most relevant cinemas near you. We also use this information to show you ads for similar films you may like in the future. Like Verizon Media, our partners may also show you ads that they think match your interests.
HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. Verizon Media and our partners need your consent to access your device and use your data (including location) to understand your interests, and provide and measure personalised ads. Verizon Media will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products. Learn more.
How Verizon Media and our partners bring you better ad experiences
To give you a better overall experience, we want to provide relevant ads that are more useful to you. For example, when you search for a film, we use your search information and location to show the most relevant cinemas near you. We also use this information to show you ads for similar films you may like in the future. Like Verizon Media, our partners may also show you ads that they think match your interests.
