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Prince Harry 'falls for Greta Thunberg impersonator phone call'

Russian hoaxers say they spoke to the duke on two occasions 

Rory Sullivan
Thursday 12 March 2020 07:38 GMT
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Prince Harry is alleged to have fallen for the hoax calls
Prince Harry is alleged to have fallen for the hoax calls (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

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Two Russian pranksters have claimed they tricked Prince Harry into telling them he was "completely separate” from most of the royal family.

The hoaxers, Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, say they spoke to the prince in two phone calls while impersonating climate activist Greta Thunberg and her father.

In audio clips posted on YouTube, a voice which is apparently the prince’s can be heard.

Buckingham Palace said it would not comment on the hoax. Likewise, a spokesman for Prince Harry declined to respond to the story.

The authenticity of the phone calls has yet to be established.

In the published clips, a man can be heard saying: "Unfortunately the world is being led by some very sick people.

"I don't mind saying this to you guys, I think the mere fact that Donald Trump is pushing the coal industry so big in America, he has blood on his hands.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex carried out their last official royal duties earlier this week, after deciding to step down from their roles and to spend time living on Vancouver Island, Canada.

According to The Sun, Prince Harry said their decision had not been an easy one but that they had made “the right decision” to protect their son.

The paper also quoted him as saying that he was "completely separate from the majority" of his family.

Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the Queen, told PA news agency: "As long as Harry and Meghan are over there, they're out of the protection of the system - and for all its faults, the system does, and is there, to protect.

"If they were at Buckingham Palace, it wouldn't have happened. They wouldn't have got through the switchboard. They're pretty vigilant."

Referring to other well-known figures like Elton John who have been duped by the same tricksters, Mr Arbiter added that if the voice was Harry’s then he was in “pretty good company”.

The conversations reportedly took place on New Year’s Eve and 22 January.

Agencies contributed to this report

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