Prince Harry longed for a "normal life" long for a "normal life" long before the Megxit. The fact that the Duke of Sussex has not wanted to be a royal for a long time is shown by previous interviews.
London – Since his autobiography "Spare", there is no doubt: Prince Harry (38) was deeply unhappy as a member of the royal family. In the book, he gave detailed insights that explained his frustration and openly settled accounts with King Charles III (74), his stepmother Camilla (75), his brother Prince William (40) and his wife Kate Middleton (41). However, the fact that he no longer wanted to be a royal long before his retirement is now shown by old interviews provided by Dailymail.
Prince Harry didn't want the monarchy to be just "a bunch of celebrities"
Six years ago, The Mail on Sunday revealed in comments how much Prince Harry was already toying with the idea of "wanting to get out" of the royal family. During a candid interview with journalist and author Angela Levin, the then 32-year-old Harry spoke about his struggles finding a meaningful role for himself in what he referred to as the "fishbowl." What's more, he had been on the verge of collapse several times, he said at the time.
What kept him from putting his wishes into action was his loyalty to Queen Elizabeth II (96, † 2022), Harry stated. "I spent many years struggling and I didn't want to grow up," the prince candidly admitted in the conversation. "I felt like I wanted to get out, but then I decided to stay in and look for a role." In the conversation with Levin, Prince Harry also strongly expressed his view that the monarchy must change as soon as his grandmother died. No one in the royal family wants to be king or queen," he told the astonished interviewer.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's exit from the royal family
Harry himself must have been surprised by how quickly things would turn out for him after the Levin interview. Within four years, Harry and Meghan Markle (41) had turned their backs not only on the royal family, but also on Great Britain. Today, the prince lives in California as a father of two and has processed the reckoning with his former life in book form.
Harry was seething long before he met Meghan Markle in July 2016
Harry's statements impressed the author so much that she decided to write a biography about the Duke of Sussex: "Harry: A Biography of A Prince" (Pegasus). "We want to make sure that the monarchy endures, and we are thrilled with what it stands for," was a statement that led her to write her work, Levin says today.
Six years ago, Prince Harry wanted a "normal life", as old interviews show. He also wants to enable his children to live a normal life (photomontage). © AndrewParsons/Imago & Cover Images/Imago
There was always turmoil in Harry long before he met Meghan Markle in July 2016, as you can see from his book. Under different circumstances, Harry didn't say anything else six years ago: "We don't just want to be a bunch of celebrities, we want to use our role for something good." He insisted that any change was for the "greater good" of the monarchy: "We are not doing this for ourselves, but for the good of the people and the monarchy we represent." And: "There are so many negative things in the world – we as a family are trying to bring something positive." Sources used: dailymail.co.uk
