Awkward moment Prince Harry 'fell for Greta Thunberg hoax phone call'
The Duke of Sussex allegedly spoke about his exit from royal dutiesPrince Harry once reportedly fell for a hoax phone call in which Russian pranksters made the Duke of Sussex believe he was talking to Greta Thunberg.
The prank, which took place in 2020, allegedly saw the duke make remarks about quitting life as a working royal and Donald Trump.
Prince Harry ‘pranked’ in Greta Thunberg hoax call
Five years ago, according to reports, Prince Harry, 40, was on the receiving end of a hoax call from two Russian pranksters.
The pranksters, Alexey Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov, told the BBC at the time that they’d impersonated activist Greta Thunberg and her dad during calls with the duke.
According to The Sun at the time, Harry reportedly discussed his royal exit with the pranksters. The duke had quit life as a working royal earlier that year.
“Sometimes the right decision isn’t always the easy one,” he reportedly said.
“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,” he then allegedly continued.
“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.”
Prince Harry on ‘receiving end of prank’
The duke, who was 35 at the time, also allegedly took a pop at Donald Trump during the call over “pushing the coal industry” in America.
Trump was president at the time (and has since been re-elected).
In extracts of the alleged call, one of the pranksters, speaking as “Greta”, said she had discovered a royal connection and suggested arranging a marriage with Prince George to help push her climate cause. Harry reportedly laughed at this.
Speaking to the BBC, Stolyarov said that he was not deliberately trying to ridicule Harry.
At the time, Buckingham Palace did not comment.
Royal Insider has contacted Prince Harry’s representatives for comment.
Harry praises Greta Thunberg
A year prior to the alleged call, Prince Harry had spoken highly of Greta during an appearance at the OnSide Awards in London.
Speaking in 2019, Harry said: “It feels so good to be here and to be part of the first-ever OnSide Awards. I’ve been to lots of events in this evening, but the energy here tonight is truly something special and of course, I feel privileged to be part of this community.”
During his speech, he stressed that the awards wouldn’t exist without the work of like-minded organisations who are united in showing young people a more positive future.
“When Greta started her climate change protest she was just 15 years old—one voice, with just one placard, sitting on her own outside the Swedish parliament, many people… actually, I should say, many adults… dismissed her,” he said.
“Yet today, millions upon millions of young people have joined her fight.”
He added: “She may have been just one person at the beginning, but she had a belief, a mission, and a desire to do something not just for herself but for everyone, and now—the whole world is paying attention.”
Read more: Prince Harry celebrates as ‘exciting’ Invictus Games 2025 report emerges
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