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Prince Harry was 'nervous' interviewing Barack Obama for BBC Radio 4

The Prince and former President became friends while Mr Obama was in office 

Alexandra Wilts
Washington DC
Sunday 17 December 2017 21:36 GMT
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Former US President Barack Obama and Prince Harry share a joke as they watch wheelchair basketball on day 7 of the Invictus Games 2017 on September 29, 2017 in Toronto, Canada
Former US President Barack Obama and Prince Harry share a joke as they watch wheelchair basketball on day 7 of the Invictus Games 2017 on September 29, 2017 in Toronto, Canada

Britain's Prince Harry has admitted he was nervous about interviewing former US President Barack Obama as a guest editor for BBC Radio 4.

“You're excited about this; I'm nervous about this,” the Prince is seen telling Mr Obama in a video released over the weekend by Kensington Palace.

“It’s fun. I’ll interview you if you want,” Mr Obama replied.

“No, no. Let’s keep it this way. I’d much prefer that,” Prince Harry said before chuckling.

In the interview, scheduled to be released later this month, questioned Mr Obama about his memories of the day he left office and his post-presidential work with the Obama Foundation, according to Kensington Palace.

The interview was recorded in Toronto in September during the Invictus Games, a sports event for injured military personnel championed by the Prince.

In the teaser released by the palace, Prince Harry outlines how the interview will proceed to a relaxed Mr Obama. The duo also exchanges a couple of jokes.

“Do I have to speak faster because I'm a slow speaker?” Mr Obama asked during the clip, adding, “Do I need a British accent?”

“If you start using long pauses between the answers, you're probably going to get ‘the face,’” Prince Harry responded.

“I don’t want to see that face,” Mr Obama replied after the Prince displayed an exaggerated stern face.

The Prince and the ex-President appear to have developed a friendship beginning when Mr Obama was in office.

Prince Harry visited Chicago in October for the Obama Foundation's inaugural summit, about a month after the pair was seen sharing a joke on the sidelines of a basketball game during the Invictus Games.

Last year Mr Obama and his wife, Michelle, posted a mock challenge to Prince Harry on Twitter before the 2016 Invictus Games, telling him to “bring it”. The Prince replied with a video of himself watching the challenge with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. After having watched the video, the Queen simply replies: “Oh really? Please.”

Last month, the former President congratulated Prince Harry on Twitter after it was announced that the royal was engaged to American actress and humanitarian Meghan Markle.

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