Prince Harry realized he needed to escape the spotlight even before Meghan Markle entered his world, comparing his Royal life to becoming an animal in a celebrity ‘zoo.’
“For me, prior to meeting Meghan, it was very much a case of, certainly connected to the media, that anger and frustration of ‘this is so unjust,'” Prince Harry said on Thursday’s (May 13) Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. Although several have attributed Harry’s decision to resign as a senior member of the British Royal family to Meghan, 39 (“Megxit,” anyone? ), the 36-year-old son of Princess Diana revealed that this resignation was a long time coming. Harry compared his life as a royal to a “compilation of ‘The Truman Show’ and being in a zoo.”
Harry continued talking about his life as a royal member. His indirect words are:
“The primary problem for me was that because you are born into it, you inherit the danger, you inherit the risk associated with it — you inherit any aspect of it without options, and because of the way the UK media operates, they feel an ownership over you,” Harry explained to TODAY. “Literally — as in total possession — and then they offer the idea to some, if not the majority, of their readers that this is the case, but I believe it is a very risky position to be in if you have no options. However, people would naturally turn around and say, very correctly, ‘Then what if you didn’t have a choice? It was an honor.'”
Harry Admitted That He Felt Powerless On Three Occasions In His Life
Harry admitted that there were three occasions that he felt almost powerless throughout his life – two of which occurred during his tenure as a member of the British royal family. “One, when I was a child in the backseat of my mother’s car, being pursued by paparazzi. [Number] two occurred in Afghanistan aboard an Apache aircraft, and the third occurred while traveling with my wife. And those were the times in my life that I felt weak. It’s excruciating because that’s where you say, ‘Sh-t, I got the privilege.’ I acquired the platform. I gained authority, and yet I am powerless to change this. I am unable to alter this.'”
When questioned whether he felt “confined,” Harry admitted that he did – and that he had expressed a wish to abandon the seat a decade before. “It’s part of the work, correct? ‘Bear it with a grin. Carry on,'” he said. “I was in my early twenties and contemplating, ‘I don’t want this work.’ I’m not happy to be home. I’m not interested in doing this.’ Consider what it did to my mother! How am I ever going to be able to settle down and get a family because I realize it will happen again? I’ve seen what’s going on under the mask. I’ve examined the business model and am familiar with how this operation operates. I’m not interested in becoming a member of this.”
Prince Harry Frequently Attributes His Salvation To Counseling
Harry frequently attributes his salvation to counseling, which Megan urged him to pursue. “Once I began counseling, it was as if the bubble burst,” he said, noting that he knew he was in a “position of luxury” and that, rather than wishing for anything better in existence, he needed to go out and create it. “How are you going to do it better in the future? ‘How are you going to make your mother happy and use this opportunity to make a positive difference?’ he asked. The Invictus Games, the Archewell Foundation, and his other charitable endeavors are the outcome.
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