Prince Albert of Monaco bothered by Harry and Meghan’s ‘inappropriate’ Oprah interview

Royal tells Harry he should have kept it in the family

MONACO, MONACO - JANUARY 27: (L-R) Princess Charlene of Monaco and Prince Albert II of Monaco with their children Princess Gabriella of Monaco and Prince Jacques of Monaco greet the crowd from the palace balcony during the Sainte Devote Ceremony. Sainte devote is the patron saint of The Principality Of Monaco and France's Mediterranean Corsica island. on January 27, 2020 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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Prince Albert of Monaco criticised Prince Harry for airing his troubles in public.

The Monaco ruler told the British royal he should have kept his dissatisfaction within the family.

In a rare interview, he said he was bothered by the prince and his wife Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

His comments refer to the interview this month in which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Winfrey that a member of the family – not Queen Elizabeth II or the Duke of Edinburgh – had made a racist comment about their son Archie.

The duke also said that none of his relatives spoke out in support of Meghan after the racism he said she faced in the media.

As the son of Princess Grace of Monaco, Prince Albert will be all too aware of the struggles for a Hollywood star joining a royal family. Grace Kelly, as she then was, married Prince Rainier in 1956 and was compelled to give up her acting career.

He criticised a 2014 film, Grace of Monaco, starring Nicole Kidman, which focused on Grace's supposed desire to return to her acting roots when offered a part in Marnie by Alfred Hitchcock.

Albert said the film "cannot under any circumstances be classified as a biopic".

Grace died in a car crash in 1982.

FRANCE - APRIL 19:  American film star Grace Kelly (1929-1982) starred in High Noon, Rear Window, Dial M for Murderand High Society. She married Prince Rainier (1923-2005) in 1956 and became Princess Grace of Monaco. She was killed in a car crash in 1982.  (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)
Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly, 1956. Getty 

Prince Albert described Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey as inappropriate.

Meghan also spoke of being suicidal while in the royal family but claimed she received no help after revealing her suffering.

Speaking to the BBC's Yalda Hakim, Prince Albert said: “I think this type of public display of dissatisfaction, to say the least, these types of conversations should be held within the intimate quarters of the family.

“And it doesn’t really have to be laid out in a public sphere like that. It did bother me a little bit.

“I can understand where they’re coming from in a certain way but I think it wasn’t the appropriate forum to have these kind of discussions.

But Albert, married South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock in 2011, did reveal some sympathy for Harry.

“It’s very difficult to be in someone’s place,” he said. “I can understand the pressures that they were under.”

Asked whether he would give Harry any advice, he said: “I wish him the best, but it’s a difficult world out there. I hope that he can have the judgment and wisdom to make the right choices.

Albert was speaking during Monaco Ocean Week, an event intended to draw attention to projects, initiatives and activism for the protection of global marine ecosystems.

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 02: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (R) shakes hands with Albert II, Prince of Monaco in the stands during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Final between England and South Africa at International Stadium Yokohama on November 02, 2019 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Prince Harry shakes hands with Albert II, Prince of Monaco during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Final. Getty Images

Harry recently announced two new roles in the US, where he lives with his pregnant wife and their son Archie in Los Angeles.

He announced he is to join the think tank Aspen Institute's new Commission on Information Disorder, as well as taking up the role of chief impact officer at professional coaching and mental health firm, BetterUp.

Le prince Albert de Monaco et Diana Spencer lors du tournoi de tennis de Wimbledon en juillet 1981 à Londres, Royaume-Uni. (Photo by Art SEITZ/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Prince Albert, pictured with Harry's mother Princess Diana in 1981 at Wimbledon. Getty Images