Prince Harry’s ‘bromance’ with Barack Obama on display during interview

Royal quizzed the former president ahead of his stint as Radio 4 guest editor

Barack Obama and Prince Harry
Barack Obama and Prince Harry at the 2017 Invictus Games
(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)

Prince Harry has sat down with former US president Barack Obama for a one-of-a-kind interview for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

On 27 December, Radio 4's flagship breakfast programme will welcome the royal as its guest editor - and he has already bagged his star interview.

Photos and videos from the recording session, which took place in Toronto in September during the Invictus Games, have been released ahead of the broadcast.

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The royal and the former president are shown sitting side by side at a table with microphones in front of them during a pre-interview warm-up session.

“The pair's longtime bromance was on full display as they traded quips,” says CNN.

“Do I need a British accent?” joked the former commander-in-chief as the pair prepared to record the interview.

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The light-hearted tone continued as Prince Harry, who is to marry US citizen Meghan Markle in May, threatened to give Obama “the face” if he paused for too long between answers.

The pair have bonded over the Invictus Games, an international sporting competition for wounded service personnel founded by Prince Harry in 2014.

Ahead of the 2016 games, in response to friendly “trash talk” from the then-president and his wife, Michelle, Prince Harry played the ultimate trump card - a response video featuring an appearance from his grandmother, the Queen.

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Nonetheless, the prince admitted to feeling “nervous” about conducting the interview, prompting Obama to offer to reverse their roles. “Let’s keep it this way, I much prefer that,” a laughing Prince Harry responded.

According to comments made by Prince Harry during the warm-up session, around 20 minutes of the 40-minute interview session will feature on the Today broadcast, while the full recording will be made available as a podcast.

Kensington Palace said the conversation would focus on the pair’s “shared interest in building platforms for the next generation of young leaders”, The Guardian reports.

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