TV producer “Nasty” Nigel Lythgoe has criticised the Duke and Duchess of Sussex over how they handled their departure from royal duties.
Lythgoe, who starred as a judge on Popstars and So You Think You Can Dance, accused the couple of showing disrespect to the Queen.
The 72-year-old has danced in, choreographed, directed and produced the Royal Variety Performance and describes himself as a “severe royalist”.
Speaking before he received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, he told the PA news agency: “I can’t stand the fact that we have had hundreds and hundreds of years of the royal family and someone who’s been in it a minute, turns around and knocks it.
“I mean, OK, it may not be what is wanted today. But the biggest words for me are, ‘respect it’. It was annoying. And I’m sorry that she’s been allowed to, frankly, say untruths.
“They never got married. You know this whole thing about, ‘we were married three days before’, never happened. And so many things that came out.”
That was a reference to the couple’s claim they had a secret marriage ceremony before their union at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in May 2018.
Lythgoe, who earned the nickname “Nasty Nigel” on Popstars, said the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March of this year made matters worse.
“It was like, ‘let’s really create something here, some mayhem,’” he said. “And I think it was unfair on the royal family.”
Lythgoe, a former chairman of Bafta Los Angeles, said Harry should have “respected” his family.
He said: “I think it was really upsetting. They could have left quietly. They didn’t need all of the shit that went along with it. If that’s what they wanted to do, and if Harry felt as though he couldn’t cope with the situation, well, he’s still part of that family and should have respected them.”