Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan on Wednesday where they will be highlighting efforts to support vulnerable communities affected by conflict and displacement. The couple, who stepped down as working royals in 2020, have travelled to Amman at the invitation of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Their visit comes at time of crisis for the Royal Family following the arrest of Harry’s uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The former Duke of York was arrested by Thames Valley Police last Thursday on his 66th birthday, and questioned for 11 hours before he was released to return to his new home in Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate. He is accused of sharing confidential information with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein while acting as the UK’s trade envoy.
Channel 4 News spoke with Harry, 41, for his first televised interview while in Jordan where his uncle came up. At the start of the interview, senior political correspondent Paul McNamara made it clear the duke did not want to discuss Andrew to not take away from the main issue – the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Speaking on the programme, Paul began, “The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire. No one in the region is shouldering the burden as much as here in Jordan.
And the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were left in no uncertain terms just how desperate the situation is over the last two days. They are walking a diplomatic tightrope.”
He added, “Prince Harry‘s people did not want him answering questions about Israel. The Prince did not want to answer questions about his uncle Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The fear is that every headline would be about that and not what is unfolding in Gaza and the refugee camps here in Jordan.”
Just minutes into the interview, the Channel 4 News correspondent addressed Andrew.
Paul said: “Look, I understand you don’t wish to talk about your family, your uncle, things back in London. You’re here because you don’t want to distract from the work you’re doing on WHO and Gaza.”
Harry appeared slightly awkward as he remained tight lipped looking straight ahead at the reporter, before he moved the interview along with a question about the prince’s work in Jordan.
The Duke of Sussex was then asked about the current situation in Gaza 16 months after the conflict broke out but seemed to insert a remark about Andrew’s arrest.
He said with a wry laugh: “There is a lot of stuff in the news. It goes at an incredible pace and what’s been happening in that region has been going on for a long time and it drops out of the news.
“So I think it was a really important time for us to collaborate and come here and shine a light and focus on the very real humanitarian catastrophe that has happened and continues.”
It was the first reference Harry has made about Andrew since he was arrested after being accused of leaking secrets to paedophile Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.