HARRY’S HEART’S DESIRE ‘I wanted out of royal life’
HOW THE ‘WOUNDED PRINCE’ IS PICKING UP THE PIECES AFTER HIS MAGAZINE INTERVIEW
He has a self-confessed “naughty streak” that has landed him in trouble a number of times. Remember the Nazi fancy dress uniform and the naked
Las Vegas photos?
And it seemed Prince Harry was destined for the dog house once more with The
Firm after he admitted in an interview that none of his relatives want to be monarch.
But it seems he’s escaped a slap on the wrist – or worse – for the furore-causing comments because his family knows they were blown out of proportion.
Harry (32) was quoted in Newsweek magazine, saying his family were modernising the monarchy for the greater good of the people, not for themselves.
“Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen?” he says. “I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.”
The comments made headlines around the world, and Harry copped flak for whingeing about his privileged position and lacking respect for the institution of the monarchy.
A British group campaigning for republicanism said his admission was a clear sign that it was time for the UK to abolish the monarchy.
While there was a public backlash, there won’t be any repercussions from the palace, says an insider.
“It’s fair to say there was a little disappointment with the way the Newsweek article was interpreted but it wasn’t anything that caused Harry to get in trouble,” says the source. “How the British media handled the story was the most frustrating part.
“Some of the quotes were wholly misunderstood and taken out of context. Of course, there isn’t anyone who sits there and dreams about becoming King or Queen, and that’s what Harry was getting at. The point is, it is something you are born into. You don’t get the choice. If or when that day comes, you just get on with it to the best of your ability.”
In the article, Harry also admitted he’d “wanted out” of royal life during his turbulent twenties, when the pressures of life in the spotlight, combined with the trauma of having lost his mum Diana, Princess of Wales, took a toll on his mental health.
“My mother died when I was very young,” says Harry, who was 12 when Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. “I didn’t
‘ I pulled my head out of the sand, started listening and decided to use my role for good’
want to be in the position I was in but I eventually pulled my head out of the sand, started listening to people and decided to use my role for good. I sometimes still feel like I am living in a goldfish bowl but I now manage it better.”
He says his priority is to lead an ordinary life – something his mother inspired him to do by taking him and his older brother Prince William on outings, such as visiting homeless people. “Thank goodness I am not completely cut off from reality. People would be amazed by the ordinary
life William and I live. I do my own shopping. Sometimes, when I come away from the meat counter in my local supermarket, I worry someone will snap me with their phone.
“But I am determined to have a relatively normal life and if
I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too. Even if I was king, I would still do my own shopping.”
Journalist Angela Levin, who interviewed Harry for the Newsweek article, says his comment about none of the other royals wanting the top job stemmed from thoughtfulness and honesty.
“I believe him not to be a ‘clown prince’ or a moaner, but a wounded prince,” she wrote in a follow-up article. “And who would not be scarred to lose a mother at such a young age? Harry has reached an age where he understands this too. Indeed, it is this empathy for those in trouble that makes him such an inspiring figure, finally giving him the role he longs for.”