A friend of Prince Harry’s has revealed how much Harry was suffering in the lead-up to he and Meghan stepping back from royal life.
Speaking on ABC’s special programme Royal Divide: Harry, Meghan and the Crown, Argentinian polo player Nacho Figueras, a longtime friend of the Duke of Sussex, said: “He has suffered a lot from all of the things that have happened to him.
“He suffers a lot from people judging him.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January that they would be stepping back from royal duties and instead divide their time between the UK and Canada.
They have dropped their HRH titles and will no longer carry out royal duties or military appointments, or represent the Queen on official engagements. They are paying back the public money spent on renovations to their home in the UK, Frogmore Cottage.
Figueros compared Harry to a lion trying to defend his partner and young in speaking of Harry’s decision to leave royal life behind.
“He’s being a father,” he explained. “This is a guy who is trying to protect his cub and his lioness from whatever it takes.
“He was the son of someone who suffered attacks from the press and it’s undeniable. He doesn’t want for that to happen for his family.”
Figueras is, of course, referring to Harry’s late mother Princess Diana, who shared a love-hate relationship with the press and died in a car accident while being pursued by paparazzi photographers in France on August 31, 1997.
When speaking out for the first time about he and Meghan’s shock announcement the Duke of Sussex himself said as much: “I was born into this life… When I lost my mum 23 years ago, you took me under your wing. You’ve looked out for me for so long, but the media is a powerful force, and my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us.”
In an ITV doctumentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which aired in October last year, Harry revealed that the media was a constant reminder to him of his mother’s passing.
“I think being part of this family, in this role and this job – every time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash – it takes me straight back,” Harry told interviewer Tom Bradby.
“With the role, with the job and the sort of the pressures that come with that, I get reminded of the bad stuff, unfortunately,” he said.
Meanwhile Meghan admitted she was “not okay”.
“I’ve said for a long time to H – that’s what I call him – it’s not enough to just survive something, right? Like that’s not the point of life.
“You’ve got to thrive, you’ve got to feel happy, and I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip.
“I tried, I really tried,” she said.
After the couple announced they were stepping down Meghan and Archie returned to Canada, where they had been staying over the Christmas/New Year period. Harry followed a few days later.
Harry and Meghan in Wellington during their 2019 visit to New Zealand.
Figueras also revealed that his friend just wanted to “live a normal life, as normal as his life is going to be. When you have 1000 paparazzi outside your house in Canada waiting to get one picture of your son, that’s not normal”.
How normal a life the Duke and Duchess of Sussex can now live remains to be seen.
Meanwhile the New York Post has reported that Meghan’s first job, post stepping back from her role as a working royal, will be for a reality TV show.
The publication claimed that Meghan will star on Canadian show I Do, Redo alongside her friend, Toronto-based stylist Jessica Mulroney.
Jessica advised Meghan on her wedding to Prince Harry and will front the show, which will focus on couples who have already tied the knot but want to redo a ceremony that didn’t go to plan.
Meghan will make a number of appearances in the 10-part series, the New York Post said.
