Before going to Nigeria with Meghan Markle, Prince Harry visited the UK this week, but didn't see King Charles or Prince William while he was there. (A spokesperson for Harry said the meeting between him and his father "unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme.")
On Good Morning Britain, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was speaking about reconciliation, and the interviewer asked him about Harry's relationship with his father and brother. "We must not judge them," Welby replied. "They're human beings, they must not be judged. They need to be prayed for and supported."
Welby, who in his role as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the Church of England, is close with the royal family, and has presided over many key events of the last decade, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding and King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation.
This isn't his first time this year weighing on royal family news; in March, he spoke about the speculation surrounding Kate Middleton's health before she announced her cancer diagnosis.
"We are obsessed with conspiracy and we have little sense of the humanity of those who are caught in the glare of the news. It doesn't matter who it is, people should be allowed to be ill, have an operation, whatever it is, and to live their lives in peace without everyone demanding that they prove something every other day," he said.
Welby continued, "It's the web that has made these conspiracy theories, for all kinds of people, run riot. It's extremely unhealthy. It's just old-fashioned village gossip that can now go round the world in seconds. We have to turn away from that. Gossiping in that way is wrong."
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
