Prince Harry was branded a ‘hypocrite’ for describing his relationship with paparazzi as ‘hunter versus prey’ when he allegedly used to capitalise on his royal status to help promote a friend’s nightclub.
Harry would purposefully use the main entrance of Public, a London club he frequented in his youth, to give the venue a ‘huge PR boost,’ a friend who used to party with the Duke has claimed.
The source told The Sun on Sunday that co-owner Guy Pelly arranged for Harry to be photographed outside of Public because his presence was ‘amazing for its profile.’
The insider disclosed Harry’s alleged PR stunt after the Duke, 38, claimed in his new Netflix documentary that the ‘majority of my memories are of being swarmed by paparazzi.’
Prince Harry was branded a ‘hypocrite’ for describing his relationship with paparazzi as ‘hunter versus prey’ when he allegedly used to capitalise on his royal status to help promote a friend’s nightclub, He is pictured at London hotspot Public in 2010
Harry would purposefully use the main entrance of Public, a London club he frequented in his youth, to give the venue a ‘huge PR boost,’ a friend who used to party with the Duke has claimed. Harry is pictured at Public in 2011
‘He is guilty of rank hypocrisy,’ the source told The Sun yesterday, just two days after the Harry & Meghan docuseries made its global debut on Netflix.
‘Harry started becoming a regular at the club late in 2010 and early 2011.
‘Guy Pelly was his friend and he got Harry to come to the club, which was amazing for its profile.
‘Harry must have known he would be snapped by photographers.’
The insider claims Mr Pelly would typically sneak Harry into the club through a back entrance to ‘avoid hassle and photographers.’
But on a few occasions the club owner arranged for the royal to enter through the main doors so he would be spotted by paparazzi.
‘Harry was pictured and, boom, the club really took off,’ the source recalled, reiterating that the scheme was ‘Pelly’s idea.’
The insider added: ‘It is odd to think this is the same bloke preaching to the world on Netflix, including about paps.’
MailOnline has approached Harry’s spokesperson for comment.
The insider disclosed Harry’s alleged PR stunt after the Duke, 38, claimed in his new Netflix documentary that the ‘majority of my memories are of being swarmed by paparazzi’
In episode two of Harry & Meghan (pictured) the Sussexes are in New York in November 2021. They are seen getting into a car as their bodyguard discusses how to avoid photographers ‘camped out’ along the road
Harry also compared Meghan’s experience to that of his mother, Diana, who is seen here being followed by a photographer while in her car
The accusation of the publicity scheme comes after Harry compared paparazzi following his mother, Princess Diana, to the online harassment faced by his wife Meghan Markle.
He told episode two of their bombshell Netflix series: ‘To see another woman I love go through this feeding frenzy is hard.’
The Duke of Sussex, told how his wife, 41, has been repeatedly targeted by social media trolls, and described the relationship between the duchess and her online critics as ‘basically the hunter versus the prey’.
Harry said: ‘Back in my mum’s days, it was physical harassment, cameras in your face, people chasing you. Paparazzi still harass people, but the harassment exists more online now.
‘Once the photographs are out and the story is next to it, then comes the social media harassment. To see another woman in my life who I love go through this feeding frenzy, that’s hard. It’s basically the hunter versus the prey.’
Harry also spoke about his experience of facing photographers as a child.
‘The majority of my memories are of being swarmed by paparazzi,’ he said, adding that they rarely had a holiday without someone jumping out of a bush with a camera.
‘Within the family, within the system, The advice that’s always given is don’t react. Don’t feed into it,’ he explained.
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