Prince Harry's Rep Denies Claim He Said 'Brits Need To Learn A Lesson' Before Oprah Interview

Prince Harry's spokesperson has denied a U.K. tabloid's claim that the Duke of Sussex slammed the British public ahead of his and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The Sun published a report Saturday claiming that Prince Harry said "those Brits need to learn a lesson" before his and his wife's bombshell interview aired in March 2021.

But on Sunday, Carly Ledbetter, a senior reporter at HuffPost, shared a statement from Prince Harry and Markle's representatives saying that the quote was "erroneously attributed" to the duke and slamming the Sun report as "a baseless hit piece masquerading as journalism."

"This story is riddled with inaccuracies, not least of which is a quote erroneously attributed to Prince Harry," the Sussex spokesperson said in the statement.

"To accuse a man who spent 10 years serving his country of wanting to teach that same country a lesson is not only an attempted distraction but an unfortunate and predictable tabloid strategy," the spokesperson added. "To pit him against his country is shameful and manipulative, especially when Prince Harry has never spoken ill of the British public."

The Sun did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to HuffPost.

In its report, the tabloid cited unnamed "senior sources" as alleging that Prince Harry "boasted" to a friend that the royal family would be shocked by their interview with Winfrey.

"This is going to be quite shocking. Those Brits need to learn a lesson," Prince Harry allegedly told a friend, the outlet claimed.

During their 2021 interview, Markle alleged that she was "silenced" by the royal family and that Kate Middleton made her cry ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry. She also claimed that there were "concerns" about their son's skin color before he was born.

Prince Harry also told Winfrey that racism was a "large part" of why he and his wife left his home country.

Some royal pundits and fans are expecting the rumored tension between the Sussexes and the royal family to worsen with the upcoming release of Prince Harry and Markle's Netflix docuseries and his memoir "Spare."

Last week, the streaming giant dropped the first trailer for "Harry & Meghan," a six-episode docuseries that promises an "unprecedented and in-depth" look into the "other side" of the couple's love story.

In the trailer, Prince Harry said, "No one sees what's happening behind closed doors. I had to do everything I could to protect my family."

The release of the trailer came a day before Prince William and Kate Middleton's appearance at the second annual Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, prompting some royal experts to speculate that they were trying to steal the limelight from the Prince and Princess of Wales.

"Here it is, the day before Prince William and Catherine's big royal event in the USA. Bitter Prince Harry and Meghan," Daily Mail editor Richard Eden tweeted after the docuseries trailer's release.

"With Harry's brother and sister-in-law in the USA today and tomorrow... and Prince William's @EarthshotPrize in Boston on Friday night, some might reasonably ask: 'couldn't they have waited a couple of days?'" ITV News royal editor Chris Ship commented.

"Harry & Meghan" is reportedly expected to premiere on Netflix Thursday, while Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" will hit shelves on Jan. 10.