Prince Harry thought about quitting royal life in his 20s

Harry said it was a heavy burden and he struggled to deal with being a member of the royal family. He feared that his pregnant wife and son, Archie, would have to deal with the spotlight the same way his late mother, Princess Diana, had to deal with the enormous attention.

In 1997, Diana died in a car crash at the age of 36 in Paris while being pursued by paparazzi.

“I don’t want this job, I don’t want to be here, I don’t want to be doing this. Look what it did to my mum,” the 36-year-old Harry said.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, said on that Archie and Harry
were the inspiration for a new children’s book she wrote that
will be published next month. (Photo: Reuters)

In a previous interview, Harry said the royal family cut him off financially at the start of 2020 after he announced plans to step back from his roles. But he was able to afford security for his family because of the money his mother left behind.

Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal duties began last year over what they described as the British media’s intrusions and racist attitudes toward the duchess. He criticised some American media outlets but said they are an improvement over the ones in the UK.

He feels more liberated after he and his family moved to California.

“Living here now I can actually lift my head and actually feel different,” said Harry, who added he’s able to take Archie for bicycle rides. “You can walk around feeling a little bit more free.”