Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have been in Australia this week carrying out their very own tour, marking their first visit Down Under since 2018. While they are no longer working royals, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have carried out engagements on their trip connected to business, charity and subjects they are passionate about.
While the Royal Family have not commented on Harry and Meghan’s actions, it is likely the pair have been closely watched by the Palace, who are not likely to be best pleased. This is because over the last few days, Harry has made comments about royal life that may reignite tensions between the prince and his family members, including with his father King Charles who he has only just made amends with.
Here are four comments Harry has made in Australia that might damage chances of further reconciliation with his royal relatives…
2. Harry said royal life is like a ‘goldfish bowl’
In his speech on Thursday, Harry also referred to his royal life as a child as being a “goldfish bowl under constant surveillance”. This creates the image that he felt trapped, another comment that does not paint the monarchy in the best light. He said in his speech: “In my experience, loss is disorienting at any age. Grief does not disappear because we ignore it. Experiencing that as a kid while in a goldfish bowl under constant surveillance, yes, that will have its challenges. And without purpose, it can break you.”
(Image: Jonathan Brady-Pool/Getty Images)
3. Harry said he felt pressure ‘internally and externally’ as a royal
In another comment about his royal life, which he walked away from in 2020, the prince said there were times when he felt “betrayed” and had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He said this came “externally and internally”, suggesting that some of the pressure he felt was from those closest to him inside the institution. He said in his speech: “There have been many times when I’ve felt overwhelmed. Times when I’ve felt lost, betrayed, or completely powerless. Times when the pressure – externally and internally – felt constant. And times when, despite everything going on, I still had to show up pretending everything was okay, so as not to let anyone down.”
(Image: Jonathan Brady-Pool/Getty Images)
4. The duke commented about King Charles’ parenting
While he did not say anything directly bad about his father King Charles, who he only recently repaired his relationship with, The Duke of Sussex did make some personal comments about his father. This was earlier in the week during a talk at an event about fatherhood hosted by the Movember charity at the Whitten Oval in Melbourne. The event was held on the second day of his and Meghan’s visit to Australia. Harry said: “I see parenting evolving over time. Our kids are our upgrade. Not to say that I upgraded my dad or that my kids upgraded me, but the kids that we bring up in today’s world need to be upgraded. There’s no judgment, there’s no blame, there’s no pointing the finger. The reality is that, however you are parenting, that is a personal experience to you, you are going to want to improve on that. Obviously, 40 years ago, there wasn’t social media, so that’s just one example of conversations that are now happening in households between kids and parents that never existed between me and my parents.” The comment was not a direct dig at his father, but the mention of the King may not be well-received, especially as the talk was about parenting.
(Image: Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)