‘I’ve seen the Prince morph into a nervy, tense man’

Just before Prince Harry got engaged to Meghan Markle, he invited me to Kensington Palace as I was writing his biography. One of the things he was keen to get across was the importance of teamwork.

“You get taught in the Army that you can’t get anywhere without the support of other people. I agree,” he said. During the BBC interview which he and Meghan gave for their engagement in 2017, he told how he saw Meghan as “another team player as part of the bigger team”. Meghan replied that she was looking forward to a “new chapter”, adding: “Now it’s time to … work as a team with you.”

Finding Freedom, the new biography by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, confirms what we had guessed – that, when it came to her role in the Royal Family, Meghan wasn’t a team player, but a fiercely ambitious woman who wants to be No1 and seemingly finds it difficult to compromise. Her time with the Royal Family has been brief but long enough for her to become one of the most famous women in the world. Yet in the book she is quoted as having “given up her whole life” for the role.

I was given generous access to follow Prince Harry on his engagements for more than a year in 2018. He is charismatic and, like his mother, wears his heart on his sleeve. Every now and then a wave of irritation or resentment would cross his face. But most of the time he was an irresistible combination of royal stardust and accessible everyman, who oozed confidence and mischief.

Less than a year on, however, I witnessed this warm prince morph into a nervy, tense man who seems constantly on edge. It is as if the dark side, that we had only had glimpses of previously, has fully enveloped him.

It is ironic that the book quotes Harry asking “where is the positivity? Why is everyone so miserable and angry?” – for these are surely questions he must ask of himself.

I watched Prince Harry become increasingly uneasy when Meghan began to make most of the speeches, walked in front of him or pulled his sleeve to sit down – as she did at Canada House in January this year – while he was mid-conversation. She is a megawatt attention grabber with the eyes of the world upon her and Harry’s shine has faded in her shadow. Does he believe he hasn’t done enough for her? But can he ever do enough? Perhaps Meghan is one of those people who never has enough, who will always zoom in on the negative.

Sadly, it’s this double-downing on the bad stuff which seems to have engulfed Harry, to the extent that the closest members of his family are now at the top of his list of grievances.

He told me that William was “the only person in my life I can say anything to and trust completely”. However, Finding Freedom reports that he now barely speaks to him for suggesting he took “as much time as you need to get to know this girl”.

Harry also told me: “I absolutely adore my grandmother.” The feeling was mutual. Once she passed her 90th birthday she asked Princes Charles, William and Harry to help out more. Harry said: “The Queen has been fantastic in letting us choose what we’d like to do.” Yet the complaint is that there were no photographs of them on the desk when Her Majesty delivered her 2019 Christmas message. In fact, there were only kings and immediate heirs on show.

Harry also no longer seems grateful to his father, Charles, who walked with Meghan down the aisle and is keeping them afloat financially. Yet we hear the Sussexes complaining that the Prince of Wales had first pick on the choice of engagements and dates.

The sad truth seems to be that however much Harry and Meghan stare blissfully into each other’s eyes, they seem to bring out the worst in each other. The pair – described as “impulsive and impatient” – are said to want to “be in charge of their own narrative”. Where then, is the teamplaying spirit?

It’s true that Harry often thought about leaving the Royal Family before he met his wife. He confided in me how much he hated living in a “goldfish bowl”, wanted to lead a “relatively normal life”. It’s a wish that couldn’t be more misplaced in Los Angeles. Seeing Harry look so dour, claiming to be a victim, it’s obvious the peace he desires continues to elude him. Settling scores is likely to lead to more unhappiness. Maybe it’s time for Harry to take a step back to remember who he was and what was really important to him before all this began.

‘Harry: Conversations with the Prince’ by Angela Levin is published by Bonnier

‘She is a megawatt attention grabber with the eyes of the world upon her and Harry’s shine’s faded in her shadow’