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Former British prime minister Boris Johnson recalled a "ridiculous" conversation he had with Prince Harry before the beloved royal left the U.K. in 2020, in his upcoming memoir, Unleashed, to be released this fall.
According to People, Johnson, who was the United Kingdom's prime minister from July 2019 to September 2022, was urged to persuade Prince Harry to stay in England amid the royal's plans to step away from his duties and leave the country in 2020. Johnson penned the 20-minute conversation in his forthcoming memoir, referring to the chat as "hopeless."
"A ridiculous business... when they made me try to persuade Harry to stay. Kind of manly pep talk. Totally hopeless."
Despite praising Prince Harry for the creation and continued success of the Invictus Games and his wife, Meghan Markle, for her admirable efforts in "promoting the education of women in developing countries," the couple remained unpersuaded and held on to plans to leave the U.K.
And so, during the Duke of Sussex's speech at an event organized by Sentebale charity supporters on January 19, 2020, the royal confirmed that he and Markle would officially be departing the country.
"It brings me great sadness that it has come to this. The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back, is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. I know I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option. What I want to make clear is we’re not walking away, and we certainly aren’t walking away from you."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, currently reside in Montecito, California.
People mentioned that Prince Harry is expected to return to London on September 30th to take part in an annual charity award show. Interested individuals can look forward to the release of Johnson's Unleashed, out October 10th.