Prince Harry is undoubtedly a little embarrassed as he makes his way back to Canada. It appears the Duke of Sussex has fallen victim to Russian pranksters. YouTubers Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, also known as Vovan and Lexus, contacted Harry twice. Each time, they posed as Greta Thunberg and her father.
The pranksters spoke to Harry twice, according to The Sun. One phone call took place on New Year's Eve. The other came in late January. The conversation touched on climate change but also a number of other sensitive subjects. The two even got Harry to open up about his decision to step back as a senior royal.
The duo has tricked other famous figures as well. Elton John, Bernie Sanders, and French President Emmanuel Macron have also fallen victim. Some are wondering if Harry's new team in Canada is up to the challenge of protecting him from such situations. Queen Elizabeth and the late Princess Diana both were targeted by similar pranks, however. The establishment may not have been able to do much better.
Prince Harry is the latest target of Russian pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, also known as Vovan and Lexus. The duo spoke to Harry on two occasions, one on New Year's Eve and the other in January. They were able to contact Harry by posing as teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and her father.
Harry spoke frankly with "Greta" on a number of subjects. Although no one has been able to independently verify that it's Harry's voice on the call, it certainly sounds like him. The views expressed aren't particularly shocking, but certainly more candid than Harry would have spoken as a royal.
The subject of climate change and different international leaders came up. Of course, this makes sense because it's the real Greta's area of expertise. Harry has also spoken out on climate change concerns, especially around the launch of his sustainable travel initiative, Travalyst.
"Unfortunately, the world is being led by some very sick people, so people like yourselves and (the) younger generation are the ones that are going to make all the difference," Harry noted.
"People need to be woken up and the only way to wake people up from what effectively is a consciousness crisis is, I think, you need to be doing extreme things. What you need to do is make real big changes that actually shock people, and it's that shock factor that wakes people up."
Harry also acknowledged his own controversial use of private jets, admittedly not the most climate-friendly way to travel. "Unfortunately there is very few alternatives," he explained.
"We have to fly on commercial planes all over the world. Nowhere near as much as most people who do it for a night or weekends. Certainly for my family, to protect my family, from these people, as you can well understand. I have to put protections and safety of my family first and these people are never-ending."
One of his more salacious comments is about none other than US President Donald Trump. Harry said he believed the 17-year-old could outsmart the president.
"The mere fact that Donald Trump is pushing the coal industry is so big in America, he has blood on his hands," Harry said. "But Trump will want to meet you to make him look better but he won't want to have a discussion about climate change with you because you will outsmart him."
Harry also spoke about politics in his own country. He had this to say of the election. "The fact that our choice was between those two individuals in my mind, I think, probably creates more of an observation that the system itself might be broken," he noted. "There's a lot that the leaders of today can learn and can listen to people like yourself."
Despite the fact that Harry was believed to have snubbed Boris Johnson during Commonwealth Day celebrations, his once-private comments about the prime minister were rather tame.
"I think he is a good man, so you are one of few people who can reach into his soul and get him to feel and believe in you," he said. "But you have to understand that because he has been around for so long like all of these other people, they are already set in their ways."
While acknowledging the challenges of getting through to leaders, he expressed faith in Greta and her generation's ability to do so.
"They believe what they want to believe, they believe what they have been told," he pointed out. "So that is what you're up against, up against changing habits, as you know."
Harry also touched on a number of more personal matters during the two conversations. When the subject of his uncle came up, Harry made sure to put some distance between himself and Prince Andrew.
"I have very little to say on that," he cautiously began.
"But whatever he has done or hasn't done, is completely separate from me and my wife," Harry continued. "We operate in a way of inclusivity and we are focusing on community. And so we are completely separate from the majority of my family."
He went on to discuss his and Meghan's decision to step back as senior royals. "I can assure you, marrying a prince or princess is not all it's made out to be!" he joked.
"But sometimes the right decision isn't always the easy one. And this decision certainly wasn't the easy one but it was the right decision for our family, the right decision to be able to protect my son. And I think there's a hell of a lot of people around the world that can identify and respect us for putting our family first."
Harry also noted how his time in the military was an illuminating one. It put in perspective how different he was from the rest of his family. "I was in the military for 10 years so I'm more normal than my family would like to believe," he said.
"But certainly being in a different position now gives us the ability to say things and do things that we might not have been able to do. And seeing as everyone under the age of 35 or 36, seems to be carrying out an activist's role, gives us the opportunity to try and make more of a difference without being criticized."
Harry and Meghan's team has yet to comment on the prank. While it may be a little embarrassing to have fallen for such a joke, Harry's feelings about these subjects have been apparent for some time. Critics will say it's Meghan's influence, but it's hard to deny when Harry has squarely expressed these feelings in his own words.
