Released last Thursday, Prince Harry’s newest personal interview has made waves online. In the interview with host Dax Shepard and producer Monica Padman for the podcast “Armchair Expert” podcast, Harry discussed his thoughts on mental health, his childhood and his life in Los Angeles.
- But Prince Harry’s comments about the First Amendment have drawn strong criticism.
What did Prince Harry say about the First Amendment?
During the interview, the Duke of Sussex expressed shock at the attention he received from paparazzi while living in film producer Tyler Perry's mansion in Beverly Hills, according to MSN and Fox News.
- “I’ve got so much I want to say about the First Amendment as I sort of understand it, but it is bonkers,” he said.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives the right to freedom of speech.
- “I don’t want to start sort of going down the First Amendment route because that’s a huge subject and one in which I don’t understand because I’ve only been here a short period of time,” Harry also said. “But, you can find a loophole in anything. And you can capitalize or exploit what’s not said rather than uphold what is said.”
What was the response?
On Twitter, Harry’s comments have drawn strong criticism from politicians and activists in the U.S. and U.K., Fox News and Yahoo News reported.
- Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, tweeted, “Nice that he can say that.”
- Candace Owens, a conservative political activist, tweeted out, “Sunday riddle: How many more Hollywood-style interviews will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle give before they finally achieve the privacy they claim to be so desperate for?”
- Jack Posobiec, an internet personality and right-wing activist, tweeted that, “Prince Harry is attacking America’s First Amendment. Tells you everything you need to know.”
- Nigel Farage, a U.K. politician involved with Brexit, tweeted, “For Prince Harry to condemn the USA’s First Amendment shows he has lost the plot. Soon he will not be wanted on either side of the pond.”
In the U.K., some palace aides even called for Harry and his wife Meghan Markle to lose their titles after hearing Harry’s comments in the podcast, according to The Independent and MSN. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Friday, royal reporter Katie Nicholl said the royal family felt “distressed and angry” after hearing Harry’s comments in the podcast interview.