Some people want history to repeat itself

Independent

02-05-2025

The Duke of Sussex said he believes 'some people want history to repeat itself' in an apparent reference to the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, after his failed legal challenge over his UK security.
Harry, who lost an appeal against the Home Office over the decision to provide him and the Duchess of Sussex with a 'lesser level' of security than when they lived in the UK, told the BBC that during the legal battle, he had 'discovered that some people want history to repeat itself'.
He said: 'I don't want history to repeat itself.
'I think there's a lot of other people out there, and the majority that also don't want history to repeat itself.
'Through the disclosure process, I've discovered that some people want history to repeat itself, which is pretty dark.'
The duke, 40, has previously used the phrase in reference to his mother's death in 1997, when he was 12 years old.
In 2023, he spoke of his fears of history repeating itself and not wanting to become a single dad himself.
'My father coming in, in his dressing gown and sharing that news with me, only now as part of writing the book (Spare), that I really think about how many hours he'd been awake,' he said.
'And the compassion that I have for him, as a parent having to sit with that for many, many hours, ringing up friends of his, trying to work out, how the hell do I break this to my two sons?
'And I never want to be in that position, part of the reason why we are here now, I never ever want to be in that position.
'I don't want history to repeat itself.
'I do not want to be a single dad.
'And I certainly don't want my children to have a life without a mother or a father.'
One of the first times Harry alluded to his mother's death using the phrase publicly was in 2019, when he made a statement after the Duchess of Sussex started legal action against The Mail On Sunday newspaper over an allegation it unlawfully published one of her private letters.
Releasing a statement at the time, he said: 'Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one.
'Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself.
'I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person.
'I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.'
It was also a key theme in the interview he and Meghan had with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in March 2021.
Harry said 'my biggest fear was history repeating itself', and added: 'What I was seeing was history repeating itself, but definitely far more dangerous – because then you add race in, and you add social media in.
'When you can see something happening in the same kind of way, anybody would ask for help, ask the system of which you are part of, especially when you know there is a relationship there that they could help and share some truth or call the dogs off.'
After the Court of Appeal ruling on Friday, in the interview, the BBC asked Harry who he thought wanted history to repeat itself.
He declined to answer, saying: 'I'm not going to share at this point.
'I know all the names of the people that were involved in this process.
'You have to question, why wasn't I put through the same risk management board that everybody else was put through, including members of my family?'
Asked if he rejects that the changes to his security are to do with the fact he is no longer a working royal, the duke said: 'Whether I have an official role or not is irrelevant to the threats, risks and impact on the reputation of the UK if something was to happen.'
He appealed against the Home Office, which is legally responsible for the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), the body which authorises protection for senior royals.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are pleased that the court has found in favour of the Government's position in this case.
'The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate.
'It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security.'