King Charles Is Considering a Second Jonathan Dimbleby Interview Pre-Coronation—Where He Could Talk About Prince Harry

(Image credit: Getty)

published 29 January 2023

There really is nothing new under the sun, and when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in March 2021 (and then, more recently, Harry’s cornucopia of television interviews to promote his book, Spare), it wasn’t the first time a royal had taken to the airwaves to express their truth. Those alive in the 1990s (or those who tuned in to season five of The Crown) remember that it was the then Prince Charles who shot first, appearing in an interview with Jonathan Dimbleby in 1994, followed by Princess Diana’s response in kind with Martin Bashir the next year.

So the idea that Charles could return to television to break his silence about Harry isn’t a completely ridiculous notion, and, multiple outlets report, it’s in talks to happen—and, to tie it all together with a bow, with Dimbleby on the BBC, no less, all a part of the media coverage in the leadup to his Coronation in May.

The Mirror reports “Jonathan Dimbleby may have a chat with King Charles on camera for the Coronation celebrations—and he could address troubles with Harry and Meghan since their Netflix show and memoir Spare.” Nearly 30 years after the first Dimbleby interview, “Palace aides are discussing the possibility of the monarch using his chat to give his side of the story,” the outlet reports, which would break the unspoken (or spoken, who knows) code of silence amongst the royal family to not say a word about Harry and Meghan’s recent forays into the limelight.

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Dimbleby is apparently a longtime friend of Charles’, and the BBC wants to do a piece about Charles’ life and plans as monarch. “Palace aides are concerned about the line of questioning,” The Mirror writes. “But sources say the monarch is mulling over the interview offer.”

“Plans are already up and running for Coronation coverage at the BBC, including the profile on the monarch,” an insider tells the outlet. “It is not the done thing to avoid subjects in interviews, so it makes matters tricky. Even one small comment on Harry and Meghan would make worldwide news. It could also prompt a response from Harry, which would be unpredictable, like so much. Everything is very delicate.”

Apparently, ITV has also come to the table to ask the King for an interview, but that’s less likely after Harry already sat down with the network’s Tom Bradby earlier this month to promote Spare.

There also remains the option that Charles could dodge a pre-Coronation interview altogether and release his own footage for use by the media, much like the traditional Christmas Day message from the monarch.

“There remains an option for the family to simply produce a Coronation speech or content they film and supply,” the source says. “It allows control over what is said and would not address the Sussexes.”

These next three months will be nothing if not interesting…

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.