Prince Harry's 'hot and cold' behavior on royal tours revealed

Prince Harry's treatment of the media on royal tours is 'hot and cold', an insider has revealed. 

• Prince Harry creates a 'hot and cold environment' for the media on royal tours, an insider has revealed. 
• The Duke of Sussex, who has previously slammed the British press as 'toxic', reportedly behaves unpredictably towards journalists on overseas trips. 
• In other royal news, Zara Tindall's piercing revelation at Prince Charles' party—reports of 'royal rebel' behavior.
  

Prince Harry behaves unpredictably towards the press on royal tours, an inside source has revealed. 

The Duke of Sussex began undertaking overseas trips on behalf of the Royal Family as a young child, embarking on his first-ever abroad tour to Venice with his parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, in 1985. 

Since then, the 37-year-old has flown to countries all over the globe as an ambassador of the British monarchy. 

These ceremonial trips are typically accompanied by journalists, who travel together in a media 'ratpack' to document the tour's developments for the UK's leading news outlets. 

According to British journalist, Robert Hardman, there are usually about 40 'reporters, photographers, and film crews' camped out at each of the royal's engagements. This tight-knit cohort is managed by eight Buckingham Palace employees, who are tasked with organizing the press coverage of Royal Family members—with the exception of Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, who have their own team at Clarence House. 

While these journalists have full permission from the Firm to capture the tours, their presence isn't always appreciated by the royals themselves. 

The Duke of Sussex, in particular, has been known to struggle with the glare of the cameras, having developed a negative perception of the British press since the death of his mother in 1997. Princess Diana was tragically killed in a car crash when Harry was just 12, after being chased by paparazzi in Paris. The devastating loss, which resulted in no prosecution, left the royal heir deeply distrustful of the media. 

Camilla Tominey has now revealed how this traumatic incident appears to influence the prince's treatment of reporters on overseas tours. 

Speaking last month on the Women With Balls’ podcast, the Telegraph editor revealed that the Duke's attitude towards the press can be hard to predict. 

"I’ve been on jobs with Harry where he’s been angry with us and ignored us," she said, before recalling a positive encounter with the father-of-two in 2016. 

"I remember being in Barbados with him and I was on the rota. He kept on beckoning me like, ‘Camilla. You need to hear this’. I don’t know what they were talking about, palm oil or something.

“I’m there with my notebook, thinking ‘Oh, he’s being very friendly’. So, it’s a bit of a hot and cold environment.”

Camilla added that other members of the Royal Family can also be dismissive with the press, but did not provide any names. 

“Sometimes you can be on the back of the plane and a royal comes down for a chat," she said. "Sometimes they act as if you shouldn’t even be there.”

Prince Harry has made no secret of his disdain for the British media in recent times, calling it 'toxic' for his mental health during a candid interview with James Corden last year. He even admitted that his tense relationship with the press was a major factor in his decision to withdraw as a senior royal with his wife, Meghan Markle, and emigrate to the US in early 2020.