Prince Harry's latest media moment took an unexpected turn when pop culture collided with royalty. During his guest appearance on Hasan Minhaj's podcast, Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know, the Duke of Sussex looked completely bewildered after being asked about the rumoured feud between Taylor Swift and Charli XCX, which is a topic dominating music headlines in 2025.
The moment came early in the episode when Minhaj asked, 'This one's heavy, Harry — what do you think of the Taylor Swift and Charli XCX beef?'
Harry, visibly puzzled, responded with a laugh and a confused 'The what? Oh no...,' glancing off-camera for help. The exchange quickly went viral, with fans amused at how out of the loop the Prince seemed amid one of the year's biggest pop debates.
The Feud That Baffled the Duke
Let's discuss the infamous feud between two of the biggest pop stars before jumping into Prince Harry's reaction.
Charli XCX's 2024 track 'Sympathy Is a Knife' had sparked fan theories that it targeted Swift, referencing lyrics thought to nod to Swift's brief relationship with The 1975's Matty Healy, Charli's now-husband George Daniel's bandmate. When Swift released 'Actually Romantic' recently, fans saw it as a lyrical rebuttal.
While both singers have confirmed the assumptions, Charli, during an interview in 2024, clarified that the song was 'about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure'; however, online discourse only intensified.
Unfazed but clearly lost, Harry simply chuckled and looked around, keeping his composure while Minhaj quipped about 'pop beef diplomacy.'
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle is a Swiftie
Adding to the internet buzz, the podcast aired just a day after Meghan Markle shared an Instagram Story with Taylor Swift's 'Opalite' playing in the background. Fans couldn't resist linking the two polar opposite sides of the couple; Meghan vibing to Taylor's beat while Harry, unaware, got schooled on her latest drama.
If anything, Harry's bewildered reaction captured what many find refreshing about him: a royal trying to live a normal life in a hyper-connected, hyper-reactive world.
The Podcast Had Some Serious Moments Too
Yet beyond the humorous moment, the episode revealed a more thoughtful side of the Duke. Once the music chatter faded, Harry spoke with conviction about one of his core causes, which is the impact of social media and AI on young people's mental health.
Through his Archewell Foundation, Harry and Meghan have launched The Parents Network, a coalition supporting families who've lost children to social media–related harms.
'The very thing that supposedly connects people has now created more isolation than ever,' Harry told Minhaj, emphasising that technology must be 'safe by design.'
Discussing the right age for kids to finally access social media, the Duke explained that children's brains should be allowed to form 'before their lives are litigated in the digital world.'
In another poignant moment, Harry reflected on the lack of digital rights for children, warning that the next generation's privacy and safety were being 'designed by people in boardrooms.' He urged lawmakers and tech leaders to prioritise 'safety by design,' stressing that the system is failing young users and exploiting their minds.
