Journalist behind royal documentary says Prince Harry and Meghan seemed 'bruised and vulnerable'

Thursday, 24 October 2019

The journalist who interviewed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for a controversial new documentary has spoken out about his experience with the couple.  

Harry & Meghan: An African Journey features emotional revelations from both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with Prince Harry speaking out about his relationship with Prince William and Meghan discussing her struggles as a new mother in the intense spotlight.

ITV anchor Tom Bradby appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the documentary, which he admitted had played out very differently to what he had expected.

'I went intending to make a documentary that was always going to be about their work in Africa, and then a little bit about where they were at in life,' he said, adding that he 'knew that everything wasn't entirely rosy behind the scenes.' 

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Bradby said he had been intending to do a 'more conventional journalistic job', though he had warned the couple beforehand he would have to ask them 'some pointed questions'.

'The reality I found was just a couple that seemed a bit bruised and vulnerable,' he said. 

Bradby, who had known Prince Harry for years, said he had a couple of 'private heart-to-hearts' with the royal throughout the process.

'He's always been one of those people if you ask him an honest question in private or in public, he will tend to give you an honest answer, for better or worse.'

One of those topics Prince Harry had been candid about was the fact that he and his brother were on 'different paths at the moment'.

Bradby elaborated on the royal's comments, saying it was 'exactly as Harry said: all brothers have good days and bad.'

'But I think the real issue here is not so much interpersonal issues — that's something that's better to remain private because, like all sibling relationships, it's complicated,' he explained.

'But the really important thing, the difficulty they have is that they have almost two entirely parallel narratives about a whole bunch of stuff.'

Bradby said their different views on Princess Diana's death was a significant example.

'Harry feels quite simply that the press killed his mother and is now in danger of trying to damage his wife. William has a more nuanced view of that, and he thinks that, yes, their mother did have a very hard time, but she also made a mistake in allowing the press in and is absolutely adamant that that shouldn't happen,' he said.

'[William] thinks his brother is sometimes too open and then sometimes tries to close up — and that doesn't work.'

Bradby said he hoped his documentary would encourage everyone to give the Duke and Duchess of Sussex some space.

'If this documentary has an outcome, I do hope that it's that everyone — perhaps including them — takes a really deep breath and maybe thinks pretty hard about how the future might play out.'