Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson is opening up about his ultimately failed attempt to keep Prince Harry from relocating to the United States.
In his upcoming—and according to the Daily Mail "sensational"—memoir, Johnson details how he gave the Duke of Sussex a so-called "manly pep talk. According to the outlet, Johnson was trying to convince the embattled member of the royal family to stay in England and within the monarchy with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their at-the-time only child, Prince Archie.
"A ridiculous business...when they made me try to persuade Harry to stay," the former prime minister writes. "Kind of a manly pep talk. Totally hopeless."
According to Johnson's memoir, the ill-fated talk took place in January 2020, and just weeks after Johnson won the election. He claims that "officials in Downing Street and Buckingham Palace believed he might be able to talk Harry out of his seismic decision to quit the UK and walk away from his royal duties," the Daily Mail reports.
Prince Harry talks with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a bilteral meeting at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London on January 20, 2020.
Johnson explains that the "secret meeting" took place while the two attended a UK-Africa investment summit in London and lasted around 20 minutes. According to Johnson, aides were not present while the pair spoke.
On Feb. 19, 2021, Buckingham Palace announced that "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family."
"Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service," the statement continued. "The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family."
According to a friend of Johnson's, the ex-prime minister was disappointed that he could not persuade Prince Harry to remain in the United Kingdom.
"He thought they were a great asset to UK plc and it was a real shame they were leaving when they were doing such great work," the friend said, according to the Daily Beast.
"It was a man-to-man conversation, they were totally alone. But Harry wasn't for turning," the friend reportedly continued. "He was unpersuadable by that point."
"Boris succeeded in delivering Brexit but even he couldn't stop Megxit," the friend added.
Despite recent reports claiming that Prince Harry is meeting with trusted friends and asking for advice as to how he could potentially return to the monarchy and repair his fractured relationship with King Charles and Prince William, the Duke of Sussex has made it clear he has no intention of returning to the UK, especially as he says it is still unsafe for his wife and two children.
