🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Prince Harry was loved as a working royal until Meghan Markle "rewrote the history" and told him he was unhappy, Kate Middleton's uncle said during his first days as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother.
Gary Goldsmith, 58, raised eyebrows in Britain by appearing on the reality show as his niece, the Princess of Wales, spends time out of the public eye while she recovers from abdominal surgery.
The younger brother of the princess' mother, Carole Middleton, Goldsmith has developed a reputation as the "black sheep" of the future queen's family. He has become well-known for his checkered past and willingness to comment on royal issues to the media.
On Monday, Goldsmith entered the Celebrity Big Brother house and described himself as "the uncle to the future queen of our country, Catherine Middleton, the current Princess of Wales. She is simply perfect."
He wasted no time discussing the royals with fellow housemates. He was filmed having a conversation with veteran reality star Sharon Osbourne and music manager Louis Walsh, which aired on Tuesday.
"It's difficult to get hold of Kate at the best of times," he told Walsh. "She's busy and she's got children and I love the fact that she's putting family first."
"Her and William are the savior of the royal family. Although I have to say I think [King] Charles has done a spectacular job."
Goldsmith then turned the discussion towards Kate's brother- and sister-in-law, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. When asked if he had ever met Meghan, he shook his head before offering a critical assessment of her introduction to the royal family.
"I have the opinion that Harry was really, really, really loved, massively loved, and when they were a threesome—so Kate, William and Harry—they were really comfortable together, loved," he said.
"And then suddenly there's an extra dynamic that comes in, puts a stick in the spokes and creates so much drama that I don't generally think is there, and rewrote the history and said how unhappy he was, and I just don't think that's fair. And then you can't throw your family under a bus in such a dramatic style and then write books about it and expect to be invited round for Christmas."
Newsweek reached out to representatives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for comment.
This is not the first time that Goldsmith has spoken critically of Harry and Meghan. In an interview given to The Sun before he entered the reality show on Monday, he was "pretty miffed" when they appeared to speak critically of Kate after moving to the United States.
"She's beautiful on the outside, but more beautiful on the inside and really is a doting mum," Goldsmith said of his niece.
"That's why I got so upset with Harry and Meghan because you don't put a stick into that spoke and reinvent history.
"I've got pretty miffed when they had a pop at my beautiful niece who couldn't say anything for herself.
"I think everyone felt the same about how much did we love Harry, and then throwing your family under the bus just seemed inappropriate, especially what was happening with the Queen. I just thought it was totally unnecessary."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more