ROYALLY SPEAKING

Harry spoke with multiple producers and production houses . . . to discuss possible shows

- PAUL RUDNICK

Along the way, Harry listened to various ideas from others but mostly stuck by his own— including one about childhood trauma. The concept: Harry would interview a procession of controversial guests, such as Vladimir Putin, Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump, about their early formative years and how those experiences resulted in the adults they are today. . . . Harry hoped to have Pope Francis on as a guest.

—Bloomberg.

Many of these chats were recorded. Here’s a sampling:

HARRY: So, was your childhood difficult? I mean, compared with mine?

PUTIN: Well, did you know my grandfather was a cook for both Lenin and Stalin? Can you imagine? Both of them, they’d pretend to eat grains and dirt, the food of the people, but Grandpa is fixing them kugel and vichyssoise and cupcakes. Lenin loved cupcakes. He would ask, “Should I promise the people cupcakes?”

HARRY: But were you hounded by paparazzi?

PUTIN: No, just wolves and other children. But, when kids would pick on me, do you know what I’d do? Two words: poisoned cupcakes.

HARRY: Was your father very distant?

PUTIN: Yes, sometimes we were in Leningrad, he was in Moscow. Many kilometres.

HARRY: Did you ever feel lost? PUTIN: Of course. In the Leningrad