Prince Harry set for an awkward reunion with TV host Katie Couric who said he ‘stunk of cigarettes’ and ‘oozed booze from every pore’ in 2012

The Duke of Sussex could reunite with the American journalist who claimed he ‘stunk of cigarettes’ and ‘oozed booze from every pore’ in New York today.

Prince Harry, 40, is set to attend a panel talk on global issues called Everything Everywhere All At Once, at the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting.

In addition to Bill Clinton, his daughter Chelsea and Matt Damon, Harry will join American journalist Katie Couric, who previously gave a scathing verdict on Britain’s royals in her 2021 memoir.

In ‘Going There’, Katie described how Harry, then 27, smelt of cigarettes and alcohol when they met for an interview in Brazil back in 2012.

Today, they may cross paths to discuss ‘longstanding international development issues’, including ‘climate change, rising inequality, and natural and manmade disasters,’ according to Clinton Global Initiative.

The Duke of Sussex (pictured yesterday) might cross paths with the American journalist who claimed in her memoir that he stunk of cigarettes and ‘oozed booze from every pore’ in New York today 

Katie will join Harry at the event following her 2021 memoir explaining how she previously met him at a polo match in Brazil during his ‘wild-oats sowing phase’ – two months before his infamous trip to Las Vegas, where he played ‘strip billiards’ naked in his hotel room.

The American journalist, who was meeting the prince for a special programme about Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, recalled that the smell of cigarettes and alcohol seemed to ‘ooze from every pore’ in his body.

Katie also slammed the Duke of York in Going There, recalling the infamous 2010 dinner at Jeffery Epstein’s house with Andrew present.

Couric wrote: ‘I couldn’t imagine what Epstein and Andrew were up to, apart from trying to cultivate friends in the media.’

She described Epstein’s New York townhouse as ‘Eyes Wide Shut with a twist – creepy chandeliers and body-part art’.

According to Katie, guests ate lasagna out of shallow bowls and Epstein ‘held court’ in front of the fireplace to the likes of Chelsea Handler, Woody Allen, Soon-Yi Previn, George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Rose.

On the way home Katie’s ex-boyfriend Brooks Perlin remarked how young the women were who took their coats.

Introducing her 2012 interview with Harry on ABC, Couric said the prince was ‘known for his cheeky sense of humour and love of partying a bit’.

Katie claimed in her new memoir that Prince Harry stank of booze and cigarettes when she interviewed him in Belize in 2012 (pictured)

The American journalist is set to discuss global issues at a New York panel talk today alongside several public figures and world leaders 

She added: ‘But we got to see the warm and personal side when we talked about what his grandmother means to him.’

‘When we were young, it was very easy to take our grandmother for granted,’ Harry told Couric. ‘She was just a grandmother to us, and it’s only been over the past five, eight to ten years that I’ve come to understand the huge deal she is.’

He also discussed his desire for a family, saying: ‘I’ve longed for kids since I was very, very young. I’m waiting to find the right person and someone who’s willing to take on the job.’

It comes after Prince Harry said in an emotional speech that ‘carrying on Diana’s legacy is something he takes very seriously’ on Monday.

The Duke of Sussex, who recently celebrated his 40th birthday, gave the passionate address to a packed room at Halo Trust’s anti-landmine event in New York.  

The charity gained international prominence in 1997 after Princess Diana walked through an active minefield in Angola.

Harry was greeted by a rapturous round of applause as he took to the stage to deliver an eight minute speech in which spoke of the charity’s work in Angola meaning a ‘great deal’ to his late mother. 

Looking solemn faced, he said: ‘Carrying on her legacy is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously. 

In her memoir called Going There, Katie slammed Prince Harry and discussed the Duke of York in relation to convicted paedophile Jefferey Epstein

‘And I think we all know how much she would want us to finish this particular job. We are all here because we are a band of true believers, fighting for a mine free world.’ 

Wearing a navy suit with a Halo Trust pin on his lapel, he recalled following in his mother’s footsteps in 2019 when he visited Angola, 22 years after Diana had walked through minefields in the African country. 

Harry spoke of the many changes that he had gone through since his visit five years ago, including becoming a father for the second time with the birth of daughter Lilibet in 2021. 

And he said although you don’t need to have children to have a ‘stake in the future of our planet’, the Duke said his mother would have been ‘horrified’ to know that anyone’s children or grandchildren live in a world still ‘infested with mines’.

In an apparent nod to Diana he issued a rallying cry to ‘finish the job’ as he said: ‘Tomorrow let’s wake up and get back to work, let’s renew our commitments and let’s finish the job for all our sakes. 

‘So we too can look back in awe and relief and so those who started this recovery and regeneration many years ago can rest knowing we really did finish the job.’ 

Earlier today, Harry appeared on stage in New York to discuss mental health and climate change with two young winners of a legacy award given in Princess Diana’s memory.

Pictured: Duchess of Sussex and journalist Katie Couric  at a panel of the South By Southwest Conference and Festival at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, USA, March 2024

The Duke said his late mother would be ‘proud’ of them as he took part in the 14th Concordia Annual Summit in support of The Diana Award on his eight-day solo trip to the East Coast and the UK.

Harry, who cracked his knuckles and looked nervous as he sat down on stage, spoke of the importance of mental wellness at an event where participants talked about their climate anxiety. 

He personally interviewed Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia and Christina Williams from Jamaica, who received The Legacy Award in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, joking: ‘For some reason I’ve been given the microphone to ask the questions’.

He told them: ‘I applaud you for having the confidence to be on this stage. I know my mother would be incredibly proud of you guys. Your activism is true to how my mother lived her life’.

Harry, wearing a navy suit and tie with a Diana Award pin on his lapel, asked: ‘Do you feel like leaders and people in positions of power are listening to you?’, adding that he wanted the The Diana Award to help their campaigning to tackle climate change and bring influence around the world.

And when asked what gives him hope for the future he said: ‘I have said it before years ago and I’ll say it again. The younger generation is what gives me hope. The courage you have gives me hope. Everyone of us needs courage to move the dial in this world, probably more than ever. We need to listen and act on what you say because it is your future that will be stolen and that is unacceptable’.

His decision to jet off alone to New York to meet royals and celebrities before a solo trip to Britain shows he is determined to ‘carve out’ new opportunities and ‘assert himself’ after turning 40, experts told MailOnline yesterday.

The Duke is away from Montecito for the next eight days and went to a California benefit organised by Kevin Costner on Saturday, without his American wife.

Harry has always made an effort to continue his mother’s ‘unfinished’ work, revealing in 2022 that he felt ‘obligated’ to live out her legacy ‘as much as possible’. 

In a podcast interview, Harry told former rugby player Gareth Thomas: ‘I think once you get to meet people and you see the suffering around the world, you can’t turn, I certainly can’t turn, my back on that.

‘Then add in the fact that my mum’s work was unfinished, I feel obligated to try and continue that as much as possible.’

He added: ‘I could never fill her shoes, especially in this particular space because of what she did and what she stood for and how vocal she was about this issue.’

Harry’s attendance had sparked speculation that he may be in the city at the same time as his brother Prince William who is thought to attending the third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit at The Plaza Hotel on September 24.

It’s unknown if he will attend for sure, but he was present last year at the same event.

If Prince William does come to New York when Harry is there, it’s likely the brothers will steer clear from one another, as a source told The Sunday Times in August that the siblings hadn’t spoken in ‘two years.’

It was said that the last time they talked was at their grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.

The insider described the ‘estrangement’ as ‘dreadfully sad,’ adding that Prince William doesn’t even want Harry at his coronation when the time comes.