Prince Harry's Right to Criticize U.K. Government Backed by Public

The U.K. public supports the right of members of the royal family to criticize the government, according to the findings of a new poll, after Prince Harry described British politics as being at "rock bottom" in his court appearance this week in London.

Asked: "Do you think it is appropriate or inappropriate for members of the royal family to criticise the government?" by YouGov, 46 percent of respondents from a sample of 4,019 British adults surveyed on June 8 said that it was either "completely appropriate" or "somewhat appropriate."

By contrast, 39 percent of the respondents said it was either "completely" or "somewhat inappropriate" and 14 percent said they didn't know.

Historically, when members of the royal family have made comments about the government or policies of the day, they have been exposed to criticism themselves for using their unelected influence while being part of a constitutional monarchy. The monarch holds power in name only and by convention doesn't get involved in politics, although at times that can prove to be tricky.

Prince Harry attended two days of a High Court trial in his legal dispute with British tabloid publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) this week, making him the first senior royal to give evidence in a witness box in over 130 years.

The prince is suing the publisher over allegations that it conducted illegal information gathering between 1996 and 2011 to inform stories written in their newspapers about his private life. The royal submitted a 55-page witness statement to the court before being cross-examined by MGN lawyer, Andrew Green KC.

In his statement, Harry alleged that the British press was failing to properly scrutinize the government because they had gotten "into bed" with them. He said: "On a national level as, at the moment, our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our government – both of which I believe are at rock bottom.

"Democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinize and hold the government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo. I may not have a role within the institution but, as a member of the British royal family, and as a soldier upholding important values, I feel there's a responsibility to expose this criminal activity in the name of public interest.

"The country and the British public deserve to know the depths of what was
actually happening then, and indeed now. We will be better off for it."

This outright criticism not only of the press, but of the government, currently led by Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is a powerful move from Harry who is also currently suing over the Home Office's decision to remove his security when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.

Sunak, who recently made a two-day visit to the U.S. that culminated in a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House, was asked during his trip to respond to Harry's courtroom allegations.

"As people will know we have a longstanding convention that British Prime Ministers don't comment on matters to do with the royal family," he told Rupert Murdoch-owned network TalkTV. "And I'll stick to that convention."

Harry is not the only royal to have appeared to be in opposition with the government. His father, King Charles III, was criticized during his time as Prince of Wales for appearing to be against certain government measures, most recently the proposed plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

In 2015, Charles was the subject of a political scandal when repeated attempts to view letters he had sent to government ministers were finally successful, revealing he had voiced his personal opinion on a number of issues in what were nicknamed the "black spider memos" after his handwriting.

Charles had expressed views on public housing, climate change and architecture among other things, which, though sent in a private capacity, saw him criticized for appearing to assert undue influence over ministers.

In response, Clarence House said that: "The Prince of Wales cares deeply about this country, and tries to use his unique position to help others. He has devoted most of his working life to helping individuals and organisations, to make a difference for the better of this country and the world."

Since becoming monarch, Charles' political position has changed. His official function is to be consulted by the prime minister during his weekly audiences, to encourage and to advise.

Prince Harry's lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers is ongoing. The prince is also currently suing Britain's Associated Newspapers Limited (publishers of the Daily Mail) and News Group Newspapers (publishers of The Sun) over similar allegations of historic unlawful information gathering.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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