Boris Johnson had a “manly pep talk” with the Duke of Sussex in an attempt to persuade him not to leave the UK for the United States. The then-prime minister revealed that both Downing Street and Buckingham Palace approached him to speak to Prince Harry in January 2020, following his announcement with Meghan Markle about stepping back from royal duties.
In his forthcoming memoir, Mr Johnson describes the encounter as “a ridiculous business” where he was tasked with convincing Harry to stay, calling it a “kind of manly pep talk” that he deemed “totally hopeless.” The meeting took place for about 20 minutes on the sidelines of a UK-Africa investment summit in London’s Docklands.
The serialisation of Boris Johnson’s book coincides with the Conservative Party conference, where leadership candidates Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, Robert Jenrick, and James Cleverly will present themselves to party members. Within his memoir, Johnson will delve into his views on the political events leading to his exit from office in 2022, as well as his perspectives on successor Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
The memoir will encompass pivotal moments in UK politics such as the Brexit referendum, negotiations with the EU, the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Partygate scandal. Reflecting on his tenure, Mr Johnson faced repercussions, becoming the first prime minister to receive a criminal penalty while in office due to Partygate before subsequent ministerial resignations prompted his departure from Downing Street.
Offering a glimpse into his book, Mr Johnson teased readers with revelations like identifying “which senior politician looks like a bullock having a thermometer shoved unexpectedly up his rectum” and his fixation on “the weirdly shaped nostrils of a certain prime minister.” The memoir is anticipated to provide a candid and reflective account of Johnson’s time as a key figure in British politics.
This encounter sheds light on the efforts made to retain Prince Harry within the UK royal fold, capturing a snapshot of the intricacies and behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings of the British political landscape during that period.