Prince Harry says he wants his father and brother 'back'

Duke of Sussex takes part in ITV and CBS interviews ahead of the launch of his tell-all book

King Charles III (then Prince Charles), Prince William and Prince Harry attend a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, in Vimy, France in 2017. AP

Prince Harry has said he wants his father and brother “back” following a public rift which has seen him accuse Prince William of “screaming and shouting” at him.

The Duke of Sussex, who took part in an explosive six-part Netflix series, said their troubled relationship “never needed to be this way”.

In an excerpt from an interview with broadcaster ITV released on Monday, the prince said: “I would like to get my father back; I would like to have my brother back.”

He also says “they feel as though it is better to keep us somehow as the villains” and “have shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile”, although it is unclear who he is referring to.

However, in a separate interview with CBS News, set to air the same day on January 8, Prince Harry also criticises Buckingham Palace over an alleged failure to defend him and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, before they stepped down as senior royals.

In a one-minute extract, Prince Harry says: “Every single time I've tried to do it privately, there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife.

“The family motto is 'never complain, never explain', but it's just a motto.

“They [Buckingham Palace] will feed or have a conversation with a correspondent, and that correspondent will literally be spoon-fed information and write the story, and at the bottom of it, they will say they have reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.

“But the whole story is Buckingham Palace commenting.

“So when we're being told for the last six years, 'we can't put a statement out to protect you', but you do it for other members of the family, there becomes a point when silence is betrayal.”

The interviews come a month after the release of the Netflix series, which saw Prince Harry accused his brother’s office of “briefing against him” and his wife Meghan.

The prince claims Kensington Palace “lied to protect” his brother when it denied a story that Prince William had bullied him out of the royal family.

He said he was left terrified after the Prince of Wales screamed and shouted at him during a crisis summit at Sandringham. He also accused his father of lying at the tense Megxit crisis meeting with the queen in January 2020.

Harry and his wife Meghan stepped down from royal duties in March 2020, saying they wanted to forge new lives in the US away from media harassment.

They have since struck several high-profile media deals to tell their story, including the Netflix series, for which they are said to have received almost $100 million.

Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex through the years — in pictures

The duke’s biography, titled Spare, will be released on January 10, two days after the release of the interviews on ITV and CBS.

The book is expected to give details about disagreements between Prince Harry, 38, and his brother the Prince of Wales, 40.

A source with knowledge of the book told The Sunday Times it will be “tough” on Prince William.

“Generally, I think the book [will be] worse for them than the royal family is expecting,” they said.

“Everything is laid bare. Charles comes out of it better than I had expected, but it’s tough on William, in particular, and even Kate gets a bit of a broadside. There are these minute details, and a description of the fight between the brothers. I personally can’t see how Harry and William will be able to reconcile after this.”

Prince William and Prince Harry through the years — in pictures