Prince Harry is shedding more light on his relationship with his father, Prince Charles.
During Oprah Winfrey's sit-down with Harry and Meghan Markle on Sunday, March 7, he shared that his dad previously stopped taking his calls and asked him to communicate via writing. This meant Harry had to write down the details of his and Meghan's plan to announce in January 2020 they were stepping back from their position as senior members of the royal family.
"He asked me to put it in writing, and I put all the specifics in there, even the fact that we were planning on putting the announcement out on the 7th of January," Harry recalled.
When Oprah asked why Charles stopped taking his calls, Harry said, "Because by that point, I took matters into my own hands. It was like, I need to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody. It's really sad that it's gotten to this point, but I've got to do something for my own mental health, my wife's, and for Archie's, as well, because I could see where this was headed."
Harry was asked whether the couple "blindsided" Queen Elizabeth II with the decision to step back from their royal duties.
"I never blindsided my grandmother," Harry replied. "I have too much respect for her."
Later in the interview, he explained his father is now taking his calls but that "there's a lot to work through" in their relationship.
"I feel really let down because he's been through something similar," said Harry, referring to Charles' high-profile marriage to Princess Diana. "He knows what pain feels like, and Archie's his grandson. But at the same time, of course I will always love him. But there's a lot of hurt that's happened and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship. But they only know what they know, or what they're told. I've tried to educate them through the process that I have been educated."
Another stunning moment in the interview came when Meghan told Oprah that while she was a member of the royal family, she had expressed to a senior aide she was having "suicidal thoughts," and the person declined to assist her in seeking help.
For full coverage of the interview, click here.