Prince Harry had been wanting to leave the royal family for a long time – way before he even met wife Meghan Markle. The 36-year-old Duke of Sussex was featured in a recent episode of Dax Shepard’s popular podcast Armchair Expert, revealing some shocking news about how he has felt about his royal ties for most of his life.
He revealed that he had been wanting to quit his royal duties since he was in his early 20s, particularly because of the tragic experiences his mother, Princess Diana, faced as a royal.
“It’s the job right? Grin and bear it. Get on with it. I was in my early 20s and I was thinking I don’t want this job, I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be doing this,” Prince Harry told Shepard. “Look what it did to my mum. How am I ever going to settle down and have a wife and family, when I know it’s going to happen again?”
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Princess Diana joined the royal family before she was even 20, marrying Prince Harry’s father, Prince Charles, who was 12 years their senior. Her life was scrutinized by the press throughout her marriage, her divorce, and even after.
Her tragic death at age 36 - the age Prince Harry is now - was due to a car accident while she and her partner were being chased by the paparazzi.
Prince Harry revealed that he fears another tragedy such as his mother’s may happen to his growing family, which includes Meghan Markle, their son Archie and a baby daughter due later this yea
As Prince Harry explained, it was not Meghan Markle’s decision alone for the couple to step down from the royal family. However, it was with her encouragement that Harry was able to make a positive change for himself.
The prince told Shepard that Markle encouraged him to go to therapy, which made a huge difference for him.
"She saw it. She saw it straight away," Prince Harry shared. "She could tell that I was hurting and that some of the stuff that was out of my control was making me really angry. It would make my blood boil."
Prince Harry kept his concerns about his participation in the royal family quiet before meeting his wife. He explained, "I’ve never screamed, I’ve never shouted. For me the best way to let out aggression is boxing. But for me, prior to meeting Meghan, it was very much a case, certainly connected to the media, that anger and frustration of, ‘this is so unjust.’"
He revealed that this feeling had been with him his whole life - even since childhood.
"The three major times that I felt helpless, one as a kid in the back of a car while my mom was being chased by paparazzi, two was in Afghanistan in an Apache helicopter and the third one was with my wife.
“Those are the moments in my life where, yeah, feeling helpless hurts. It really hurts. And that’s when you think to yourself: I have the privilege, I have the platform, I have the influence and I even I can’t fix this. I can’t change this. And when you start getting in your head about it, that’s when it starts taking a toll."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a joint decision to step away as senior members of the royal family in early 2020. The move has caused some tension between the couple and the rest of the family, but Prince Harry stands by his choice.
"I've seen behind the curtain, I've seen the business model and seen how this whole thing works and I don't want to be part of this," he told Shepard.
More recently, the couple sat down for an interview with Oprah, revealing problems they faced while in the royal family and why they came to the decision to leave. The interview shocked the world, as Harry and Megah shared stories of exclusion, racism and toxicity.
