Tom Bradby: who is ITV journalist, how does he know Prince Harry and Prince William, where to watch interview

Prince Harry is set to sit down with ITV for a bombshell interview ahead of the release of his memoir Spare.

The book has been subject to waves of leaks after copies of the autobiography went on sale five days early in Spain. It is due for release on Tuesday (10 January) and contains revealtions about his life, time in the army and the Royal Family.

In passages that have been leaked, Harry has claimed that he was attacked by his brother Prince William and that he was left with cuts and bruises after being pushed to the floor, breaking a dog bowl. He has also claimed that his father King Charles was jealous of “resplendent” Meghan and feared she would steal his limelight.

The Duke of Sussex will be interviewed in a 90 minute special for ITV and streaming service ITVX on Sunday (8 January) evening at 9pm. Journalist Tom Bradby is the person interviewing Prince Harry in the special, but who exactly is he? Here is all you need to know:

When is Prince Harry’s interview?

The duke’s interview with ITV will be broadcast on Sunday (8 January) night. It will air at 9pm on ITV/ ITV HD. It will also be available to stream on ITVX, the new streaming service which launched in November last year and replaced ITV Hub.

Who is interviewer Tom Bradby?

Born in Malta in 1967, Tom Bradby is an ITV journalist. His father served in the Royal Navy, which is why he was born on the Mediterranean island, and the family also spent a spell living in Gibraltar before returning to Britain.

Bradby was eductated at private schools Westbourne House School and Sherborne School, both in southern England, before reading history at the University of Edinburgh. He joined ITN, producer of ITV News, in 1990 as an editorial trainee and has been with the company ever since.

In the mid-1990s he was ITV’s Ireland correspondent, covering the Irish peace proccess, Bill Clinton’s visit and the IRA ceasefire. Afterwards he became the channel’s Asia correspondent until 2001 when he returned to Britain and became the royal correspondent.

Bradby covered held the role during the Queen’s golden jubilee as well as the deaths of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. He also conducted the first interview with Prince William and Kate Middleton after they announced their engagement in 2010.

He became ITV’s political editor in 2005 and held the role until 2015. Bradby now presents ITV News at 10 after helming The Agenda with Tom Bradby between 2012 and 2016.

How does he know Prince Harry and Prince William?

Bradby and his wife Claudia, the daughter of vice-admiral Sir Nicholas Hill-Norton, attended both the weddings of Prince William and Prince Harry. He also had the first official interview with William and Kate Middleton after their engagement was announced.

He is the journalist interviewing Harry for his ITV programme on 8 January. Bradby covered the duke’s trip to Lesotho in 2004, which is when Yahoo reports the two men got to know each other. He is said to have remained in contact with Prince Harry since his move to California.

Brady had previously spoke to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for the documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. It was the moment when Meghan opened up her life in the Royal Family and in which Harry said that him and William were “on different paths”.

In 2021, it was reported that William no longer saw Bradby as a friend according to annoymous royal sources. Bradby had previous admitted in 2020 that he found himself in the "middle" of the warring brothers.

Yahoo reports that he said: “The anxiety around that was that you don’t want to let anyone down. I know Harry and Meghan, and William, and I found myself dragged into a maelstrom which I didn’t particularly enjoy and which was quite stressful. You find yourself wanting to do the right thing, which becomes very difficult because you become caught in someone else’s argument”.

But he would not be drawn into Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the rest of the royals and the press at large. He explained: “I think I’ve said all I’m going to say on that. I’m a working journalist and not going to get involved with their battle with the press. It’s not my argument. They have got their story to tell and one day they may tell it. I just don’t want to be involved any more”.