Tom Bradby reflects with Alan Titchmarsh

Best on the Box choice for January 17.

On this Sunday’s episode of Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, Alan sits down with Tom Bradby, where he reflects on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s exit from Royal life following his revelatory 2019 documentary on their African tour.

Speaking about the couple’s state of mind at the time of filming Harry and Meghan: An African Journey, Tom reflects: “It was a very psychologically complex project because they were clearly in a difficult position and weren’t feeling great and I realised the extent of that the more I was there.

“I went thinking I was making a documentary about them sort of resetting themselves in public life, and it became increasingly apparent to me the depth of their unhappiness and that really what I was probably recording was likely to be their exit from public life, which was a big transition to sort of make in my own head. I had to flip really halfway through about the kind of programme I was trying to make.”

After Alan comments that most people just want them all to be happy and at peace, Tom says: “I think the whole thing has just been incredibly painful, that is obvious to everyone. It is painful all round, painful for everyone, difficult to manage. Effectively they have just decided to completely leave the Royal family, that has never been done – I mean, you could go back to the Duke of Windsor but that was in very different circumstances  – it’s never been done voluntarily before and no one still is absolutely clear how it is going to work.

“There are still a lot of hurt feelings on all sides and it’s very difficult. And I agree with you, I think the public desperately wants them to be okay and everyone to be happy and clearly that hasn’t been the situation over the past year. It is not a very easy or comfortable situation, I don’t think it was ever going to be an easy or comfortable situation.

“You have got to remember this isn’t just a family, it’s a firm. They are in the business of public service on a very elevated, exposed platform and to some extent they are all locked in it together. And that creates lots of tensions that people perhaps do see relatively clearly from the outside, but at the same time they are trying to be a family and I am always acutely conscious of that and how complicated and frankly difficult it is.”

Tom also speaks about the ‘therapy’ of writing thrillers, including his latest novel, ‘Double Agent’, and how he has already written a third book in the trilogy.

Love Your Weekend, ITV, STV, UTV, 10am