An unexpected royal is coming to Prince Harry’s defense as he remains estranged from members of the British royal family—Princess Delphine of Belgium, who also knows what it feels like to be questioned by the media and the public.
Delphine—who is the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II, who had to fight for decades to have her royal title recognized—spoke on the “It’s Reigning Men” podcast, saying that when it comes to the Duke of Sussex, “everybody is bullying him” (via Tatler).
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Prince Harry on April 8, 2025
Referring to the August 31, 1997 death of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana—when Harry was just 12 years old—Delphine continued, “I think Harry suffered so much, and I think he was traumatized, and it’s coming out now.”
“I think there is this thing with security,” she added. “I think it’s to do with what happened to his mother.” She added, “I understand the guy. He’s just traumatized. He’s doing these things, and everybody’s bullying him, but not thinking about his trauma, and I just find it terrible because I feel like he’s just been kind of left.”
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Princess Delphine of Belgium on July 21, 2024
At 17 years old, Delphine learned that she was the daughter of King Albert, whom Tatler reported conducted an 18-year affair with Delphine’s mother while he was still married to Queen Paola. After “nasty” court cases, a very public paternity test, and the King’s abdication, Delphine finally won the right to call herself a princess in 2020, yet still feels “not welcome” in the royal fold, including not being invited to celebrate King’s Day alongside other members of the Belgian royal family.
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Princess Delphine on July 21, 2023
As for Harry, there might be the biggest chance there’s been in some time at reconciliation with members of his family, namely with his father, King Charles, following a July 9 “casual drinks” meeting which meant “a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years,” according to The Mail on Sunday. The outlet added that “There’s a long road ahead” and, when it came to the royal family representatives and the Sussex camp, “There were things both sides wanted to talk about.”
Harry’s chief of staff and communications director Meredith Maines and U.K. spokesperson Liam Maguire reportedly met with King Charles’s communications secretary Tobyn Andreae at London’s private members’ club Royal Over-Seas League, which a source told People was “a good first step. It is always better to be talking.”
“It is a positive step,” the insider added. “There’s optimism that it can be taken forward.”
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Prince Charles and Prince Harry on April 4, 2019
Harry, for his part, said in a May BBC interview that he had “forgiven” the royal family and that he would “love” reconciliation, adding that “there’s no point continuing to fight anymore—life is precious.”
Read the original article on InStyle