The writing was on the wall long before Meghan Markel’s arrival when it comes to Prince Harry’s royal exit, claims one writer.
Now living in America and having formally withdrawn from senior royal duties, Prince Harry‘s life looks pretty different now to how it did back in 2017. While his exit from the UK and royal duty are often associated with Meghan Markle, the Duke of Sussex actually expressed a desire for a normal life long before he met the Suits star, according to one royal writer who spent time with Harry. In a recounting of her time with him, author Angela Levin once embarked on a deep dive into the things that have shaped the royal exile into such a complex figure.
Prince Harry – a ‘wounded warrior’ struggling with grief
In a column previously published by The Daily Mail, royal writer Angela Levin reflected on a handful of meetings she had with Harry earlier that year, as well as the time she had spent following him on official engagements.
Having made headlines around that time for alluding to the fact that being a monarch may not be all it’s cracked up to be, Levin endeavored to uncover the ‘real’ Harry, a journey she claimed helped her to discover that Harry is not “a moaner”, but rather a “wounded warrior”.
One of the first things Levin noted about the Duke of Sussex was the effect the loss of his mother Princess Diana had had on him. According to her, Harry brought up her death on his own accord, stating sharply in their first meeting: “William and I were 14 and 12 when our mother died and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television.
“I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances”, Harry added. “It certainly wouldn’t happen today.”
Dealing with such a personal, public loss at a young age led Harry on to a journey of self-discovery, according to Levin.
“Instead of dealing with it, I buried my head in the sand and let everything around me tear me to pieces,” said Harry to the writer, discussing his grapple with grief.
Discussing his road to recovery, Harry said: “My search began when I was in my mid-20s. I needed to fix the mistakes I was making and what was going on with me.”
Harry ‘considered leaving the family a long time ago’
Having been sent home from the army on security grounds, Harry admitted to Levin that he was left kicking his heels – bored, unmotivated and at a loose end.
This depressing line of thinking had the Invictus Games co-founder thinking about what we wanted to do with his life – which almost led to him making a stark revelation.
“There was a time I felt I wanted out,” said Harry of the royal family. “But then I decided to stay in and work out a role for myself.”
In the end, it was the family’s philanthropy that kept Harry on board: “We are incredibly passionate with our charities and they have been chosen because they are on the path shown to me by our mother. I love charity stuff and meeting people.”
Perhaps the most striking anecdote from Levin’s feature was Harry’s comments about normality – which appear to reflect his view on life seven years later.
“Harry particularly dislikes ‘feeling I live in a goldfish bowl'”, wrote Levin, before quoting him as saying: “I am determined to have a relatively normal life and if I am lucky enough to have children they can have one too.
“We don’t want to be just a bunch of celebrities, but instead use our role for good.”
With Harry and Meghan now straying further from the royals than ever and living at their own pace in the States, it looks like the 39-year-old is as close as he’ll come to receiving his wish of normality.
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