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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Entertainment
Tanya Diente

Dominic West Reveals Why He Is No Longer On Speaking Terms With Prince Harry

Dominic West as then-Prince Charles in a scene from "The Crown" Season 6. Photo: The Crown/X (Credit: The Crown/X)

Dominic West was once friends with Prince Harry but their friendship ended after they joined a charity event supporting military veterans in 2013.

The actor, who plays then-Prince Charles III in the Netflix show "The Crown," was asked about his previous relationship with the royal during an interview on Times Radio's "Sunday Morning" on December 24, Sunday.

He shared that their falling out took place over 10 years ago and occurred a year after they joined the "Walking with the Wounded" charity in 2013. The event saw them on an expedition through Antarctica with injured military veterans.

"We sort of (lost touch because) I said too much in a press conference, and so, we didn't speak after that," West shared referring to a press conference in January 2014, in which he was asked about his experience during the expedition.

The 54-year-old said at the time: "(Harry) was very much part of the team. He seemed to specialise in building latrines. He built this incredible castellated structure with blocks to keep out the wind, and it even had a (toilet) roll holder."

When pressed for details by radio presenter Kate McCann West about the fallout with Prince Harry, he subtly shared: "I think I was asked what we did to celebrate when we got there and (I) probably said too much."

West said he was not able to ask the Duke of Sussex advice on how to portray his role on "The Crown" because they are no longer on speaking terms.

The actor took over the role of Prince Charles in 2022 for seasons 5 and 6. Josh O'Connor previously played the younger version of the royal.

Earlier this month, the actor also revealed that he stopped his son, Senan West, from reprising his role as a young Prince William on the show. He explained that he was uncomfortable with the storyline for season 6, especially in a scene where Prince Charles had to tell his oldest son about Princess Diana's death.

He admitted: "I didn't really fancy doing the scene at Balmoral (Castle), telling a boy his mother has died."

West added: "They invited Senan back because he did such a good job, and he was great, but I did slightly balk at that. It was unfair of me because he did want to do it, but I wouldn't have fancied that, to be honest."

As for Prince Harry, he may not have given West points on how to portray his father, but he has seen the show.

When asked how he feels about "The Crown" during an appearance on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" in February 2021 he replied: "They don't pretend to be news, it's fictional. But it's loosely based on the truth."

He added: "It gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that."

Prince Harry then told Corden: "I'm way more comfortable with 'The Crown' than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife, or myself." He even suggested that actor Damien Lewis would best portray him in the series. But the show only reached a timeline that showed a teenage Prince Harry.

Earlier this year in January, Prince Harry also spoke about the Netflix series during an appearance on "The Late Late Show with Stephen Colbert" to promote his memoir "Spare". When asked if he fact-checks the episodes as he watches it, he laughed and replied: "Yes, I do actually."

The sixth and final season of "The Crown" premiered on December 14 and it ended with a fitting tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, 2022.

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