Boris Johnson's 'hopeless' last-ditch bid to stop Prince Harry fleeing UK

Just a day before Prince Harry fled the UK with his family, Boris Johnson made a 'manly pep talk' to the Duke in a desperate bid to make him stay, the ex-PM is set to reveal

Just a day before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their dramatic exit from the UK for North America, it has been revealed that Boris Johnson, who was Prime Minister at the time, urged the Duke of Sussex not to give up his duties.

The former PM is set to disclose in his upcoming memoir that he made this futile last-minute appeal at the request of Buckingham Palace and Downing Street officials. His book, 'Unleashed', which is due out on October 10, is said to offer an inside look at a "ridiculous" few days in British Government history.

Senior officials from Whitehall and the Royal household reportedly asked Boris to give Prince Harry a "manly pep talk" in January 2020 as the Duke considered leaving the UK - a place where he has voiced concerns about invasions of his privacy and attacks on his family.

The Telegraph reports that the former Prime Minister found himself in this awkward position shortly after his landslide victory in 2019. In his book, Johnson describes the incident as " a ridiculous business... when they made me try to persuade Harry to stay. Kind of manly pep talk. Totally hopeless."

It's been revealed that a "manly pep talk" took place between then-35 year old Prince Harry and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is 20 years his senior, at the UK-Africa investment summit in London. This event marked one of Harry's last official Royal engagements, reports the Express.

The meeting was an eleventh-hour effort following the 'Sandringham Summit', where Harry, William, Charles, and Queen Elizabeth had gathered to discuss his future.

At the time, their conversation was described as "an informal 'catch-up' chat behind closed doors," with no political advisors or personal aides present, lasting just 20 minutes.

A confidant of the PM relayed details of the intense discussion to the Daily Mail, noting how Boris praised Harry as a "great asset" to Britain and expressed admiration for Meghan's advocacy for women's education globallya cause Mr Johnson has openly supported.

"It was a man-to-man conversation, they were totally alone. But Harry wasn't for turning he was unpersuadable by that point. Boris succeeded in delivering Brexit but even he couldn't stop Megxit."

Despite Boris's attempt to persuade Harry to remain in the UK and continue his Royal duties, history shows that the very next day, the Prince departed with his family for a new life in California.

Despite the challenges Prince Harry's choice presented to Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family, she expressed a supportive stance towards her grandson's decision. She noted in her statement at the time: "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family."

"Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family."

Following the Sussexes' move across the pond, they generated numerous headlines and caused considerable consternation within the monarchy and beyond, first with their explosive Oprah Winfrey tell-all interview which accused the Royal Household of racism, followed by Prince Harrys controversial memoir 'Spare', detailing what he described as harsh treatment and bullying by 'the Firm'.