On January 8, 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed to the world that they would step down as senior working members of the British royal family, a move dubbed “Megxit.” By the spring of 2020, the transition was complete, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were no longer performing royal duties. Prince Harry and Meghan have spoken up about their royal adventures since leaving the United Kingdom, moving to Canada, and finally settling in Montecito, California.
On March 7, 2021, Meghan and Harry sat down for a candid interview with Oprah Winfrey that not only focused on their post-Megxit life, but also highlighted some of the couples’ problems and concerns regarding Meghan marrying into the family, their baby Archie, and more.
The conversation also touched on the familiar subject of mental health, harkening back to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, who was quite vocal about it. Meghan criticized the British monarchy as an institution, while Harry revealed interpersonal issues with his father and brother, as well as personal security. Since the huge interview, new details regarding Harry’s attitude toward the royal family have emerged.
Prince Harry was the main guest on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast on Thursday, May 13, 2021, and the former royal was incredibly frank about his time in the royal family and how he considered quitting before meeting Meghan in his early 20s.
Continue reading to hear more about Prince Harry’s candid podcast conversation with Dax Shepherd.
On May 13, 2021, Harry spoke openly about his experience as a member of the royal family in an interview with Dax Shephard on the “Armchair Expert” podcast. He compared living as a monarch to “‘The Truman Show’ and being in a zoo.”
Harry also confessed that he had considered resigning his royal duties before meeting Meghan, even as early as his twenties. He stated he considered quitting after being advised to “grin and bear” his troubles and “get on with it.”
When asked about his mother, Princess Diana, who died in 1997, Harry said that he is not interested in this work, and is not interested in being here. This is not something he wants to be doing. Look at what that did to his mother. How is he ever going to settle down and start a family when he realizes it’s going to occur again? Because he is aware. He has seen what’s going on behind the curtain. He is familiar with the business model and understands how this operation functions. He is not going to be a part of this.
The main problem for him was that being born into it, one inherited the danger. One inherits the dangers associated with it, one inherits every element of it without choice. He thinks it’s a really terrifying place to be if one doesn’t have a choice. Then people will, quite rightly, turn around and say, ‘So what if you didn’t have a choice? It was a privilege!” said Harry.
After marrying Meghan, Harry stated he was ultimately persuaded to go to treatment to confront the long-standing issues he had. He stated that she recognized it right immediately. She could see he was hurting and that some of the things beyond his control were making him incredibly furious, making his blood boil, he added. Prior to meeting Meghan, it was very much a matter of, ‘This is so unjust.’ Not just about him, but about everything he was witnessing.
One of the key emotions Harry expressed was helplessness, and he went on to describe three consecutive occasions when this feeling afflicted his life. According to the previous working royal, the three key times he felt absolutely helpless: one, when I was a youngster in the back of the car with his mother being pursued by paparazzi; two, in Afghanistan in an Apache helicopter; and three, with his wife.
However, despite his privilege, Harry stated that it was hard for him to take on an institution like the British monarchy. He stated: “That’s when you think to yourself … I’ve got the privilege. I’ve got the platform. I’ve got the influence, and even I can’t fix this. I can’t change this. When you start getting in your head about it, that’s when it starts taking a toll.”
What do you think of Prince Harry’s honest comments on royal life? Will you be listening to the podcast? Let us know what you think, and please share this with others who want to remain up to speed on Meghan and Harry news.
