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Privacy NoticeJust a day before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s dramatic departure from the UK to North America, it has emerged that Boris Johnson, who was Prime Minister at the time, pleaded with the Duke of Sussex not to abandon his Royal responsibilities. In his forthcoming memoir, the former PM is expected to reveal that he made this desperate last-ditch appeal at the behest of Buckingham Palace and Downing Street officials. His book, Unleashed, set to hit the shelves on Thursday 10 October, promises to provide an insider’s view of a “ridiculous” few days in British Government history. Senior figures from Whitehall and the Royal household reportedly requested Boris to give Prince Harry a “manly pep talk” in January 2020 as the Duke contemplated leaving the UK – a place where he has expressed concerns about invasions of his privacy and attacks on his family. The Telegraph suggests that the former Prime Minister found himself in this uncomfortable situation shortly after his landslide victory in 2019.
Boris says he tried to talk Harry out of leaving the UK
(Image: (Image: Getty))
In his book, Johnson characterises the incident as “a ridiculous business… when they made me try to persuade Harry to stay. Kind of manly pep talk. Totally hopeless.” It has come to light that this “manly pep talk” occurred between then-35 year old Prince Harry and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is 20 years his senior, at the UK-Africa investment summit in London. This event marked one of Harry’s final official Royal engagements, reports the Mirror. The meeting was a last-ditch attempt following the ‘Sandringham Summit’, where Harry, William, Charles, and Queen Elizabeth had convened to decide his future. At that time, their talk was described as “an informal ‘catch-up’ chat behind closed doors,” with no political advisors or personal aides present, and it lasted just 20 minutes. A close source to the PM shared insights of the intense conversation with the Daily Mail, highlighting how Boris lauded Harry as a “great asset” for Britain and showed appreciation for Meghan’s work promoting women’s education worldwide, a cause Mr Johnson has publicly supported. “It was a man-to-man conversation, they were totally alone. But Harry wasn’t for turning, he was unpersuadable by that point. Boris succeeded in delivering Brexit but even he couldn’t stop Megxit.” Despite Boris’s efforts to convince Harry to stay in the UK and fulfil his Royal responsibilities, history tells us that the very next day, the Prince left with his family for a new chapter in California. Sign up to OK!’s royal newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
Harry and Meghan now have a new life with their children in California
(Image: pa)
Even with the complications Prince Harry’s decision posed for Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family, she maintained a supportive approach towards her grandson’s choice. In her statement at the time, she said: “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family.” King Charles expressed his feelings about Harry and Meghan’s Royal exit by saying: “Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.” After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated to America, they have been constantly in the spotlight, creating shockwaves within the monarchy and stirring up public debate. They first made waves with their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they levelled accusations of racism against the Royal Household. This was followed by further controversy sparked by Prince Harry’s candid memoir Spare, in which he alleges mistreatment and bullying by the institution he simply calls ‘the Firm’.Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnMeghan MarklePrince HarryRoyal FamilyBoris Johnson
