‘Bullying': Princess Delphine of Belgium breaks silence about Prince Harry rift and defends Duke of Sussex
The Belgian royal, who is the half-sister of the country's reigning monarch King Philippe, is distantly related to the Duke of Sussex through their shared ancestors King Christian IX of Denmark and Queen Louise.
Delphine, 57, was finally recognised as Princess of Belgium with the style "Her Royal Highness' in 2020 after spending decades battling to prove she was the secret daughter of Philippe's father King Albert II.
The Belgian monarchy has now largely embraced Delphine into the inner circle and she joins the royal family at major state occasions.
Earlier this week, the Princess and acclaimed artist sat down for the It's Reigning Men podcast, where she revealed she keeps tabs on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex amid their ongoing feud with the British royal family.
'I do follow a little bit of Harry because Lady Diana was just part of my life when I was in England … Then she had these children and everything, and then this death was just horrible … I feel very sorry for Harry because I think that was traumatic for him,' she said.
The royal said the Duke of Sussex had 'suffered so much' in the public eye and she understood why Harry and Meghan were "traumatised" in the royal family.
'I think Harry suffered so much, and I think he was traumatised and it's coming out now," she said.
'And I understand, so he's doing these things, and everybody's bullying him, but not thinking about his trauma.
'And I just find it terrible because he's just been kind of left.'
Delphine's stunning defence marks a departure from the rest of the Belgian monarchy and follows days of speculation that Harry and Meghan could finally hold a 'peace summit' with King Charles.
Last weekend, Harry's new chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, and UK-based PR rep Liam Maguire were photographed meeting with the King's top aide, Communications Secretary Tobyn Andreae, near Clarence House.
The meeting, first revealed by The Mail on Sunday, reportedly had "no formal agenda" but there were "things both sides wanted to talk about".
Meanwhile, Meghan has reportedly refused to return to the United Kingdom until she receives an apology from the royal family for perceived 'mistreatment' during her brief two years inside the firm.
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