When journalists like Tom Bradby befriend celebrities such as Prince Harry and what that means for storytelling

The dynamics between the media and the story they pursue should be fairly clean-cut. You ask for a quote or an interview on camera and they agree or say no thanks.

In the case of ITV journalist, Tom Bradby he has been friends with two royal princes, William and Harry.

Tom is now only really seen as a friend of Prince Harry since the royal family fallout over Harry and Meghan's exit from royal life.

A royal insider said in 2021 that “the friendship between William and Tom is very much over” because of the way the broadcaster covered Harry’s royal exit.

Mr Bradby presented the 2019 documentary, ‘Harry and Meghan: An African Journey’, which laid the groundwork for the couple’s departure from the Firm.

The Duke of Sussex told the broadcaster he and his brother were “on different paths”, while his wife admitted she was “not OK” and claimed not many people had checked in on her behind Palace walls, after both were encouraged by the presenter to talk about their private lives.

Mr Bradby later discussed the couple’s remarks once they had confirmed they were leaving the Firm and encouraged the Royal Family to “give them the freedom they want”.

Since Harry moved to the US with his wife Meghan Markle, there have been regular phone calls between Tom and Harry. William, on the other hand, is said to have cut the broadcaster out.

Speaking to GQ, Mr Bradby revealed the origins of his friendship with the royals.

He said: “I’ve always tried to build relationships without calculation — you could say, ‘Oh that’s b******s!’ and of course, it did occur to me that building a relationship with Prince William might be useful to the rest of my journalistic life.

“But I’ve tended to gravitate towards people I like, who have humanity.

“My mother hated that calculation and she particularly hated people who kissed a***, especially the a****s of those who were powerful.

“I suppose that stuck with me.

“William has his proper friends and I am not one of them."

Speaking in 2016, the broadcaster said: “I’m a friendly face in the media and someone he can talk to if he wants to.”

After he covered Harry's 2004 tour of Lesothos, Mr Bradby is said to have struck up the same relationship with William's younger brother.

However, the way the brothers have drifted in recent years has left the broadcaster in the middle.

In June 2020, The Yorkshire Post claimed: “Although he is still friends with both Harry and William, he is keen to distance himself from that debate.”

Speaking to the newspaper, Mr Bradby 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.”

He also claimed he would not comment on how the Sussexes were treated by the Royal Family.

However, since landing exclusive access to the couple during their 2019 South Africa tour, Mr Bradby has become more vocal about the fallout.

He recently told TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh: “I think Harry is heartbroken by the situation with his family… the whole thing has just been incredibly painful.

“I felt a little bit caught in the middle of them with that documentary… it’s a deeply uncomfortable place to be.”

Meghan revealed she was struggling after Tom asked her during the South Africa tour interview for ITV. She thanked him for asking, claiming not many people have asked if she's ok.

A source said: “William is a sensitive soul and believes it’s in times of crisis when you find out who your true friends are — it would be fair to say Bradby hasn’t been one of them.”

The source added: “Some staff at the Palaces are even angrier about Bradby and the tone of his reporting at ITV News, which they consider to be pro-Harry and Meghan...It’s been very difficult to accept given the long history between Bradby and William.”

They continued: "The Duke will, of course, remain cordial and professional in his relations with senior media figures, but that special relationship he once had with Bradby is no more.

William no longer sees him as a friend."

This closeness raises a question about the balance of reporting, and whether it can really be achieved. Certainly, Oprah Winfrey, despite her huge pulling power when it comes to the biggest names in the world for interviews, claims she only has three close friends.

In an interview in 2021, Oprah Winfrey, TV host, author and billionaire philanthropist, revealed that she only really has three people in her life that she counts as a 'close' friend: broadcaster Gayle King, journalist and activist Maria Shriver, and personal trainer Bob Greene.

She certainly seems to have a grasp on not getting too close to her subject. By maintaining a distance she exudes a gravitas of trust that must make people even more likely to speak to her for an exclusive interview.

Journalists are usually more comfortable keeping a distance from those they interview. Tom's access to Prince Harry comes with a price. He must sit in the uncomfortable knowledge that if Prince William and Harry make amends then he will no doubt end up being out in the cold for both of them.