Prince Harry interviews former President Obama
The interview will air on BBC Radio 4 on Dec. 27.
— -- Prince Harry has conducted an interview with President Barack Obama. Kensington Palace announced in a tweet this morning that the interview will air on BBC Radio 4 when Harry acts as guest editor on Dec. 27.
The interview focuses on Prince Harry and the former president's shared interest in building platforms for the next generation of young leaders. According to Kensington Palace, the interview includes President Obama’s memories of the day he left office and his hopes for his post-presidential life.
The conversation also includes former President and Michelle Obama’s plans to focus on cultivating the next generation of leaders through their work at the Obama Foundation that they have recently set up.
Prince Harry and the Obamas have supported each other on a number of shared initiatives, including the Obamas’ support at the last two Invictus Games and Prince Harry's appearance at the Obama Foundation’s inaugural summit in Chicago in late October
Prince Harry joined the Obamas at the summit for a discussion panel on which Harry opened up about how he came to understand his role doing public service.
"What happened to my mother put me a step back," Harry said. "How could someone like her, who did so much ... be treated that way?"
Harry went on to say that his time in the military helped him understand the concepts of "service and duty." He added that he now wants to use his platform to "normalize the discussion of mental health."
Prince Harry and Michelle Obama also surprised approximately 20 students at Hyde Park Academy, a high school on Chicago’s South Side across from the future site of the Obama Presidential Center.
“The warm and wide-ranging conversation, lasting over an hour, covered how the Obama Presidential Center will showcase the South Side of Chicago for a global audience, the importance of young people staying inspired and hopeful, and the transformative power of students using their voices to change the world,” Caroline Adler Morales, the former first lady’s communications director, said in a statement provided to ABC News.
Earlier this fall, President Obama joined Prince Harry at the Toronto Invictus Games. In 2016, then-first lady Michelle Obama headlined the opening ceremony at the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida, with Harry.
The Obamas visited the U.K. for a state visit in 2011 and Prince William, Princess Kate and Harry reciprocated by inviting the president and first lady to Kensington Palace in April 2016, showcasing their enduring friendship.
The Obamas also met Prince George for the first time during a dinner where the Obamas challenged Harry, which resulted in the viral video of the Queen Elizabeth and Harry responding to the Obamas' tweet.