Prince Harry is facing renewed criticism over what’s being described as an “unruly” and dismissive encounter with a journalist during his 2019 royal tour of Southern Africa.
Former Sky News royal editor Rhiannon Mills has spoken out about a tense exchange she had with the Duke of Sussex while on assignment in Malawi, which left her feeling humiliated and sparked broader discussion about Harry’s relationship with the press.
Speaking to The Sun, Mills compared the moment to a much friendlier interview she once conducted with the prince in New Zealand. “New Zealand was classic Harry,” she recalled. “I did this interview with him and he said ‘I’d love to have kids right now.’ We had a really good rapport. He was always helpful, friendly.”
But things took a turn during the couple’s Africa tour, which Mills described as a “make-or-break” trip for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, coming on the heels of negative media headlines.
“I was a bit under pressure to wrap the week with a special,” Mills explained. “So as Harry was walking past me, I thought, right, I’ll do what I’ve done for years – ask him a quick question. We’ve all done it –the dreaded doorstep.”
Mills admitted the question wasn’t her best. “It was a terrible question. I just asked, ‘Why is it so important for you to come here?’”
Harry’s response, however, caught her off guard.
“He looked at me and said, ‘Oh, well just go and ask those people over there.’ I probably thought, hang on a minute, I’m not going to leave it at that,” she continued. “So I said again, ‘Is that why it’s important for you to come here?’ And then he turned and said, ‘Rhiannon, don’t behave like that.’ And he got in the car and drove off.”
Reflecting on the moment, Mills said neither party walked away looking good. “I felt like I looked like an idiot. He looked really patronising. Nobody came out of it looking good.”
The revelation adds to the ongoing narrative surrounding Prince Harry’s strained relationship with the press – a theme he has frequently spoken about in public, including in interviews and his Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan.