The former royal may frequently be in the spotlight, but he also has some secrets up his sleeve!
He loves being a dad
Prince Harry expressed his desire for children even before his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, became pregnant with their first child, Archie. Just months before he met Meghan, Harry told ABC News in 2016: “I can’t wait for the day, so it will be fantastic. I have a child inside of me. That, I want to keep. I love children. Everything they contribute to the party is enjoyable to me. They merely express their opinions. Harry adores his son Archie, and he and Meghan recently welcomed a daughter, Lilibet. Here is a simple chart that summarizes the entire royal family tree.
He’s sought help for mental health
Prince Harry’s repressed grief was a manifestation of the trauma of losing his mother. In the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, he said, “The first time I cried was at the funeral at the island [at her childhood home, Althorp] and since then maybe once, so there’s a lot of grief that still needs to be let out.” It was a typical instance of being told, “Don’t let yourself think about your mum and the grief and the hurt because it won’t bring her back and it’ll only make you more sad.” Harry, however, admitted to the Telegraph in a podcast that he was “very close to a complete breakdown” before seeking professional assistance. He claimed that having suppressed all of his emotions for the past 20 years since losing his mother when he was 12 had had a significant impact on both his personal and professional lives. Harry began talking openly about his own struggles to lessen the stigma surrounding mental health issues after finally realizing that he had to deal with his grief and anger. He has since continued this as part of the docuseries The Me You Can’t See, which he is producing with Oprah Winfrey.
He wants to help others speak honestly about mental health
In the May 2021 release of the film The Me You Can’t See, Prince Harry expresses to Oprah his desire to use his notoriety and broad platform to make others who are struggling with mental health issues feel less isolated. He is aware of the privilege of his position and feels that the best way to utilize it is to demonstrate to others that people of all backgrounds can experience mental health issues. He provides resources in The Me You Can’t See for anyone going through a challenging time or who knows someone who is. It’s undoubtedly a significant improvement over his carefree, jovial prince persona. 14 ways Meghan Markle affected Prince Harry are listed below.
He’s writing a memoir
The candor of Prince Harry shows no signs of slowing down. According to a press release from July 2021, Penguin Random House will release Harry’s “intimate and heartfelt” memoir in the latter half of 2022. The news has not been well received by the royal family, firstly because it will probably reveal some unflattering facts, much like his and Meghan’s Oprah interview, and secondly because its release will coincide with the Queen’s 70th Jubilee, which celebrates her 70 years as monarch. Harry—you do you! He has a history of flouting royal protocol.
He secretly wed Meghan Markle days before their televised ceremony
Meghan and Prince Harry admitted that they were married before the legal ceremony at Windsor Castle in their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. Three days before their televised wedding, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, married them in a private backyard ceremony. “This thing—this spectacle—is for the world, but we want our union between us,” Meghan said in the interview regarding the private ceremony. Here are some of Meghan and Harry’s marriage’s most memorable pictures (so far).
He felt “trapped” as a member of the royal family
Prior to meeting Meghan, Prince Harry admitted in the Oprah interview that he felt trapped in the system as a member of the royal family. Harry declared, “My father, Prince Charles, and my brother, Prince William, are trapped.” They are unable to leave, and I feel a great deal of sympathy for them. Prince Charles is first in line and Prince William is second, placing Prince Harry as the sixth in line to the throne.
He created a sports competition for veterans
The support of injured veterans is a cause close to Prince Harry’s heart, so he founded the Invictus Games as a sporting event to assist them in overcoming their physical and mental wounds. He told ABC News, “I’m lucky enough to watch someone who should be dead run the 100 meters. “You want to know what inspiration is? That’s most likely it. Nobody wants sympathy; all they want is a chance to demonstrate their worth, and that is what this is about. The fifth Invictus Games, which were originally scheduled to take place in 2020, will now start in May 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading more interesting facts about the British royal family.
He’s a veteran himself
Prince Harry was known as “Captain Wales” during his ten years of service in the British military. When his covert deployment was made public, he was being held captive on the front lines of battle in Afghanistan but was removed for security reasons. I was really resentful,” he admitted to Newsweek. “I’ve never had a better escape than when I was in the army. I felt as though I had made real progress. He told ABC News that he was “broken” to have to leave his fellow soldiers behind. But a few years later, he did get to go back. In contrast to just being Prince Harry, he said, “I wanted to prove that I had a certain set of skills—for example, flying an Apache helicopter.” “When I was with them, I also felt like one of the guys and could forget that I was Prince Harry.” Following are some of the ways that Meghan and Harry’s wedding made history.
He trekked to the South Pole
Together with 12 wounded service members from the UK, the US, and other countries in the British Commonwealth, the adventurous prince trekked 200 miles to the South Pole in 2013. After adverse weather made racing too risky, the expedition’s director decided to make it a team effort instead of the original competition between the nations. In a video from the South Pole that was published on BBC News, the prince declared, “Overall, mission success.” A similar 2011 expedition to the North Pole included Harry, who left early to attend his brother Prince William’s wedding.
He hates Twitter
He told teenagers at a gathering, “I quite hate Twitter,” according to the Daily Mail. He wants to use the platform to raise awareness for his charitable endeavors, but he is concerned about “invasion of privacy” issues. It’s a fine line between what you should do and what you can do, and what other people want to know and what you don’t want them to know, he said. “I would love to tweet about things I care about, but it’s a fine line between what you should do and what you can do.” As of January 2021, he and his wife are no longer using any social media platforms. Harry has worn the same bracelet for years because of this.
His name isn’t Harry
Royal admirers were shocked to learn that the Prince Harry they had watched his entire life wasn’t actually named Prince Harry, but (wait for it)…
Royal Henry! Prince Henry Charles Albert David is his full name. Henry has an oddly popular British nickname called Harry, which is how the public first learned about him. Intriguingly, if Harry were to ascend to the throne, he would become King Henry IX, the first monarch of that name since King Henry VIII beheaded his wife. These are the wackiest Meghan and Harry conspiracy theories.
He doesn’t want to be king
Prince Harry was sixth in line to the throne, making it unlikely that he would ever wear the crown, which may be for the best since he appears to subscribe to the proverb “heavy is the head that wears it.” “Does anyone in the royal family desire to rule as king or queen? I doubt it, but we will carry out our responsibilities when it is appropriate, he told Newsweek. Despite having resigned from his position as king, he once remarked, “Even if I were king, I would do my own shopping.” And it turns out that Diana actually believed Harry would make a more effective king than William.
He talked to his mother on the day she died
Who can ever forget the tragic image of the card addressed to “Mummy” sitting atop Princess Diana’s casket? In Diana, Our Mother, Prince Harry, who lost his mother when he was just 12 years old, recalled their last conversation. I never looked forward to calling my parents when I was a kid, he says. He hurried off her call from Paris in order to return to playing. “I will regret for the rest of my life how brief the phone call was, and the things I would have said to my mother if I had known that was the last time I was going to speak to her…how differently that conversation would have panned out had I had even the slightest inkling that her life was going to be taken that night.” Learn about the traits Princess Diana left for Prince Harry.
He gives good hugs
Like his mother, Prince Harry is friendly and outgoing, and he also has a knack for giving great hugs. In Diana, Our Mother, he said, “She would just swallow you up and squeeze you as tight as she could.” He disclosed the same information about himself when speaking to ABC News. Everybody occasionally needs a hug, and as it happens, I’ve been complimented on my hugging skills repeatedly, he said. He and Meghan also have the same ability to hug. She reportedly responded, “I’m American—I hug,” when reprimanded for embracing people too frequently. The royal family members are required to abide by the following etiquette guidelines.
It was love at first sight with Meghan
The fact that the prince, who had struggled for so long with his own demons after losing his mother, finally appeared content and happy when he married Meghan made royal watchers very happy. But for Harry, he recognized his future with Meghan from the moment they met on a blind date in 2016. After announcing their engagement, Harry was asked, “When did you know she was the one?,” and replied, “the very first time we met.” View these formerly unpublished images of the British royal family over the years.
He feels at home in Africa
Just a few weeks after they met, Harry and Meghan’s love was cemented during a camping trip to Botswana, which he refers to as his “second home.” Additionally, Harry later acquired Meghan’s engagement diamond there. However, he told Town & Country that his love for Africa began much earlier, with his first visit there soon after his mother passed away. More than anywhere else in the world, he said, “this is where I feel like myself.” “I wish I could stay in Africa longer. I feel incredibly completely at ease and normal in this place. With his friend Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Prince Harry founded the charity Sentebale, which means “forget me not,” to aid children affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Prince Harry has been involved in conservation work on the continent (a cause Diana also championed). Here is more information on the actual work that the British royal family members do.
He doesn’t eat pizza
When Prince Harry revealed he doesn’t typically eat one of the world’s favorite comfort foods, fans were shocked. In 2017, Harry stated, “I don’t even eat pizza anymore, but I had pizza last night,” while at a Chicago school. He at least appeared to relish the unusual indulgence. He remarked, “We had thin crust and deep dish.” I’ll make sure to eat Chicago, I swear. Learn more about the royal family’s peculiar eating habits from their former personal chef.
He picks up trash
Harry, despite growing up in a wealthy environment, is very conscious of his impact on the environment and has developed some very “green” habits. When you see something, you pick it up, he said in the BBC documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70. “I used to get taken the mickey out of at school for picking up rubbish—when you see something, you pick it up.” I literally did this because I was programmed to do it because my father did it, and I was like, wow. We ought to all be implementing it. Added eco-habit from his father? Harry said in the interview, “He’s a stickler for turning lights off and that’s now something that I’m obsessed with. “Well, why turn off the lights? my wife asks. It is dark. We only need one light; we don’t need like six, I say, and then it starts to become automatic. Next, take a look at these rare, candid images of the royal family.
I enjoyed reading little tidbits of additional info about you, Harry. I’m looking forward to finally meeting you and hearing about you, directly from you….in person. Some, things I had already figured out about you…things like the incredible impact the loss of your mom had on you and the the fact that you wanted out of the Royal family (or at least the spotlight for a while). I even told Dave this during a Skype conversation while I was in Tampa back in 2013. I also knew that you would love being a father. From all the footage I’ve seen since I picked up on your interest back in April 2011, especially footage of you with the kids in Lesotho, it’s very apparent that you have that “gift” for understanding, and being able to connecting with, children….just like I do. You had parents who showered you with love and you never doubted that you were loved and wanted. That shows in your interactions with children. I have the same gift of being able understand, and connect with kids, for a different reason. Being as though I was not only unwanted and unloved, but was actually hated by my mother. I always felt that she had something against me during my childhood and that she even hated me. Much of it was the fact that I was the wrong man’s child and once I went through puberty, it was because of envy. Yep, my own mother even envies me and has viewed me…HER OWN DAUGHTER as competition. Go figure. Therefore, I’ve suffered immense psychological and emotional abuse at her hands, as well as, her sabotaging my life and happiness. Then there was the issue of being flat-out rejected by both her and my father I had to deal with. I attribute my ability to connect with kids and understand them so well to the fact that I knew what I needed during my youth (love, patience, understanding, acceptance, and REALISTIC/AGE APPROPRIATE expectations) and I give that to them. During my education in becoming an RN, I also took several psychology classes, including a Developmental Psychology class, where we studied and learned about the psychological and emotional milestones/needs across the lifespan. We studied the work of Developmental Psychologists such as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erickson, Carl Jung, and Jean Piaget. I could grasp all of their theories but I had several “ah ha” moments when studying Erickson’s theories, and he is still my favorite Developmental Psychologist because he breaks it down very clearly and his theories totally make sense. I concede that I am an anomaly…a freak of nature because my childhood was anything but healthy or normal YET I’m more rational, more sane and more well adjusted than most. I have HEALTHY self-love/self-esteem which means I don’t need to tear down a soul in order to feel good about myself. I know myself, I like myself and accept myself completely. I mind my business and don’t bother a soul so I think I’m a pretty cool chick, if I must say so myself.
I can also identify with you when you said that you had only cried twice over the loss of your mother before you sought therapy. When my maternal grandmother died, who was the only person who gave a damn about me after my grandfather passed away when I was 4 1/2 years old, I really didn’t grieve the loss either. Unlike when you loss your mom, losing my grandmother was not a surprise since she had been battling cancer 2months shy of 3 years before she passed. So, her death was expected, therefore, I had time to come to terms with the fact that I was going to lose her. At her funeral, my voice cracked while I reading letters to her from all of us, her grandchildren, at the lectern. After that, I didn’t break down until summer 2008, when I went to her grave to visit and I let it all out. I visited her last month and did the same. So, I can identify with delayed grief and expressing it years after the loss. I’m telling you, God took the wrong person from me. The night my mom and grandmother sat me down and told me that she had cancer (it was January 1989 and I was 15 years old), I cried that night and asked God why was he going to take the only person who cared about me away from me. I also asked him why he didn’t give the cancer to my mom instead. I know that sounds harsh but things were just that bad between my mom and I…her abuse was just that malicious and relentless that I wished God was going to take her instead of my grandmother.
I want you to stop beating yourself up for not talking to your mom longer the last time you spoke with her on the night she died. You were only a child being a child and there was absolutely NO WAY that you could have known that you were going to lose her later that night. It’s not your fault. Your mom knew that you loved her. I don’t doubt that for a second and neither should you, Harry.