‘I was in denial for years’
With his California home, Hollywood friends and a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix, Prince Harry now seems further away from his royal life than ever before. And although his departure came as a shock to Britain a few years ago, we could have seen the move coming well in advance.
Previous doubts
It has been more than four years since Harry and Meghan surprised friend and foe when they dramatically announced that they were relinquishing their royal role. The announcement seemed to come out of the blue, but early last year Harry’s frustration with royal life was exposed from all angles in his memoir Spare. Moreover, although it may have been forgotten, he already publicly hinted at doubts about his royal role some three years before Megxit and long before his book was published.
Candid interview
In an interview seven years ago in 2017, the Duke of Sussex admitted that he once wanted to leave the Firm and longed for a “normal life.” In a conversation later published in the Mail On Sunday, Harry opened up about his struggles, but said he ultimately decided to stick it out thanks to a family member.
He stated: “I was in denial for years and I didn’t want to grow up. I felt like I wanted to leave, but then decided to stay and still create a role for myself,” referring to the fact that he wanted to remain loyal to the late Queen Elizabeth.
In the same interview, just a year after he met Meghan, Harry also talked about his future wishes for him and his children. He said at the time: “I am determined to live a relatively normal life and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too.”
Source: Mirror | Image: NL Image
