In a rare show of solidarity, Belgium’s Princess Delphine has publicly come to the defence of Prince Harry, speaking candidly about the Duke of Sussex’s long-running struggles with the British Royal Family and the trauma she believes lies at the heart of his actions.
Appearing on this week’s episode of the It’s Reigning Men podcast, Princess Delphine, 57, offered a deeply empathetic perspective on Harry’s public and private battles, particularly those stemming from the loss of his mother, Princess Diana.
“They lost such an important figure, and I feel very sorry for Harry because I think that was traumatic for him,” she said, recalling the tragic 1997 car crash in Paris that claimed Diana’s life when Harry was just 12 years old.
“I think Harry suffered so much, and I think he was traumatized, and it’s coming out now.”
Delphine, who was officially recognised as King Albert II’s daughter only in 2020 after a lengthy legal battle, is no stranger to royal estrangement or public scrutiny. Her empathy toward Harry was especially clear when she addressed the criticism he often faces in the media and public life.
“I understand the guy. He’s just traumatized,” she said.
“He’s doing these things, and everybody’s bullying him, but not thinking about his trauma, and I just find it terrible because I feel like he’s just been kind of left.”
Her comments come at a potentially pivotal moment in the ongoing saga between Prince Harry and the rest of the Royal Family after senior aides to King Charles and Prince Harry were pictured together in London, in what’s reported to be an initial step towards restoring the relationship between Harry and the rest of The Firm.
Images obtained by the Mail On Sunday show Meredith Maines, the duke’s chief communications officer, and Liam Maguire, who runs Harry and Meghan’s UK public relations team, meeting the King’s communications secretary Tobyn Andreae at the Royal Over-Seas League near Clarence House.
The Mail reports it is not known which side initiated the meeting, but a source confirmed the rendezvous.
“There’s a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years,” they said.
“There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.”
Harry stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children.
Since leaving, both he and Meghan have been highly critical of the royals in TV documentaries, an explosive interview with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey and most notably in Harry’s best-selling biography Spare.