We’ll probably have just 2 children to help save the planet, says Harry
Baby hint from eco-friendly prince... as he warns of how parents can inadvertently pass on an unconscious race bias to the next generation
PRINCE Harry has hinted that he and Meghan may choose to limit themselves to two children – for environmental reasons.
In the issue of Vogue magazine guest-edited by his wife, he also attacks ‘unconscious’ racial bias.
In a conversation with leading primatologist Dr Jane Goodall, the new father reveals he is so concerned about the pressure that overpopulation is putting on the world’s natural resources that he plans to limit the size of his family.
The prince’s stance contrasts with that of his brother and sister-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who have three children.
Harry tells Dr Goodall: ‘We are the one species on this planet that seems to think that this place belongs to us, and only us.’ Dr Goodall agrees, describing it as ‘crazy’ to think we can have ‘unlimited economic development’ on a planet with finite natural resources.
She says: ‘There’s a lot of violence and war and suffering around the world today, but we’re part of the natural world, and if we can’t learn to live in harmony with it, then this is going to get worse.
‘There will be more conflicts, people fighting over the last fertile land, the last fresh water. It is terrifying. Especially as you’ve had a baby.’
Harry admits: ‘It does make it different. I think, weirdly, because of the people that I’ve met and the places that I’ve been fortunate enough to go to, I’ve always had a connection and a love for nature. I view it differently now, without question. But I’ve always wanted to try and ensure that, even before having a child and hoping to have children...’
Dr Goodall jokes: ‘Not too many!’ The prince replies: ‘Two maximum! But I’ve always thought: this place is borrowed. And, surely, being as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation.’
The conversation took place at Windsor and Dr Goodall was invited to meet Meghan and baby Archie afterwards.
While it appears that the prince has not yet learnt that the art of a good interview lies in talking less than your subject, Harry does reveal some interesting opinions of his own. When Dr Goodall discusses the work of her Roots and Shoots initiative, designed to encourage young people to play a part in conserving the environment, she says tht what she loves most about getting children together is that there are no racial or cultural differences.
Harry, who has previously railed against what he perceives as racism towards his biracial wife, highlights what he describes as ‘subconscious racists’.
He says: ‘What I love about your work is that you focus on the younger generation. [When] you start to peel away all the layers, all the taught behaviour, the learned behaviour, the experienced behaviour, you start to peel all that away and at the end of the day, we’re all humans.
‘But again, just as stigma is handed down from generation to generation, your perspective on the world and on life and on people is something that is taught to you. It’s learned from your family, learned from the older generation, or from advertising, from your environment. And, therefore, you have to be able to have a wider perspective. It’s the same as an unconscious bias – something which so many people don’t understand, why they feel the way that they do. Despite the fact that if you go up to someone and say, “What you’ve just said, or the way that you’ve behaved, is racist”, they’ll turn around and say, “I’m not a racist”.
‘I’m not saying that you’re a racist, I’m just saying that your unconscious bias is proving that, because of the way that you’ve been brought up, the environment you’ve been brought up in, suggests that you have this point of view – unconscious point of view – where naturally you will look at someone in a different way.
‘And that is the point at which people start to have to understand.’ Dr Goodall interjects: ‘Kids are taught to hate. They are actually taught to hate.’ Harry agrees, saying: ‘You can only be taught to hate.’
Population Matters, a UK-based charity campaigning to achieve a sustainable population, welcomed Harry’s comments, saying: ‘It’s a fantastically responsible
‘You can only be taught to hate’
and effective choice that Harry and Meghan have made, because choosing to have one less child – particularly in a rich, developed economy like the UK – is the most effective eco-action you can take.
Harry’s comments about ‘unconscious’ racial bias are notable given that while an Army officer cadet at Sandhurst he had to apologise publicly after being caught on video using two highly offensive racial slurs when referring to ethnic minority comrades.
September’s issue of British Vogue is available digitally and on news-stands from Friday.