TORONTO -- Social media lit up with mixed reactions after Prince Harry reportedly shared his opinions on a wide range of topics, including his exit from the Royal Family, during a phone call with two Russian pranksters impersonating Greta Thunberg and her father.
According to the Britain’s Sun newspaper, the Duke of Sussex was duped into taking calls from well-known jokers Vladimir “Vovan” Krasnov and Alexei “Lexus” Stolyarov on two occasions, New Year’s Eve and Jan. 22.
In the calls, Prince Harry spoke about his and his wife Meghan’s decision to step back from the Royal Family in January.
“I can assure you, marrying a prince or princess is not all it’s made out to be,” he reportedly told the pranksters. “But sometimes the right decision isn’t always the easy one. And this decision certainly wasn’t the easy one, but it was the right decision for our family, the right decision to be able to protect my son.”
The 35-year-old prince also supposedly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for his stance on climate change.
“The mere fact that Donald Trump is pushing the coal industry so big in America, he has blood on his hands,” he was quoted as saying.
The duke allegedly went on to say that if Trump met with the famous 17-year-old climate change activist, whom he believed he was speaking to, she would “outsmart” the president.
On Monday, the pranksters published a recording of one of the two hoax calls on YouTube and Facebook with an accompanying cartoon depicting the royal. Krasnov and Stolyarov have also prank-called other public figures, including Elton John and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
Krasnov and Stolyarov were reportedly able to call Prince Harry while he was staying at the luxury mansion on Vancouver Island where he and his family have been vacationing since December.
CTV News has not verified the authenticity of the phone calls. However, in an email to CTVNews.ca, Krasnov said that everything quoted in the Sun newspaper was true.
“We've been calling stars and politicians on behalf of Greta Thunberg since October. Surprisingly, you can talk to many famous people on her behalf. They quickly agree to talk to a well-known activist. And gradually we publish these audios,” he wrote.
Krasnov went on to say that “catching” someone from the Royal Family was “very interesting.” He also said he didn’t have Prince Harry’s phone number, but they were able to reach him through his “entourage.”
In an emailed statement to CTVNews.ca on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Household of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Buckingham Palace said they were not commenting on the matter.
Online reaction to news of the prank calls was swift with some commentators ridiculing Prince Harry for allegedly falling victim to the prank while others defended him for what he supposedly said in the conversations.
“Such beautiful conviction from Prince Harry, even though Greta Thunberg is fake, if he really said those words, I am proud of him,” one Twitter user wrote on Wednesday.
“I think Prince Harry comes across from this conversation as a very nice thoughtful guy,” another user said.
“Even when pranked, Harry comes across as a fundamentally good chap, and to be candid, a safe pair of hards [sic]. He didn’t actually say much out of place,” another added.
Others, however, were less impressed.
“Prince Harry is a weak individual who does not prefer to think but rather be led by the nose,” one man wrote on Twitter.
Another user took issue with the duke’s supposed criticisms of Trump.
“Uhhh Prince Harry has no business lecturing us on Our President not his. What gives him that right? If this is their game plan it’s not going to work,” they wrote.
Headlines about the prank calls came just days after Prince Harry and Meghan completed their final public engagement as working members of the Royal Family when they attended a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
The Duchess of Sussex has reportedly already returned to Vancouver Island to be with the couple’s 10-month-old son following the completion of their official royal duties.
