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Even as a teen and a young man, Prince Harry rebelled against some of the stuffy traditions of the British royal family. The prince often found himself splashed across tabloids and newspapers for one rebellious incident or another. Though many people assumed Harry was simply acting out in the years following his mother’s untimely death, this may have been a way for him to seek normalcy.

In recent years, Harry has been open about his resentment of the media when it came to Princess Diana’s death. As we understand now, the princess’ car was being chased through the streets of Paris, France when it crashed. Princess Diana died shortly thereafter.

After witnessing how the press hounded his mother, the Duke of Sussex was not going to stand for the same when it came to his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. In an unprecedented move, the pair announced they would be leaving their roles as senior working royals for a more private and peaceful life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that normalcy is on the horizon for Harry and Meghan.

Prince Harry thought living a normal life would come easy for him

Despite the apprehension from the British royal family, press, and experts, Prince Harry seemed intent on living a “normal” life. In the weeks following Megxit, he seemed wildly optimistic about it.

“You forget, I was in the military for ten years so I’m more normal than my family would like to believe,” he explained during a leaked phone call. “But certainly being in a different position now gives us the ability to say things and do things that we might not have been able to do. And seeing as everyone under the age of 35 or 36 seems to be carrying out an activist’s role, gives us the opportunity to try and make more of a difference without being criticized. Oh no, I think it’s much better.”

However, the Sussexes’ shocking choice to move to LA might have put a wrench in Harry’s plan to live away from the spotlight. “Of course [Meghan and Harry] are besotted with each other,” royal expert Camilla Tominey told ITV News. “But that’s not to say the love they have for each other and their child and their dream life in North America that they’re not going to face challenges. And that it’s not going to be difficult particularly for Prince Harry to leave everything that he’s known. This is an institution he was born into, he knows nothing else.”

Prince Harry may already regret Megxit

As he makes amends with his family amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the prince may regret moving so rashly when it came to Megxit, especially if life outside of the royal fold isn’t very peaceful or welcoming. One insider suggests Harry is already having doubts. “He cannot believe how his life has been turned upside down,” a source told Daily Mail.

One royal expert believes that the Sussexes should have tried to stick it out. “I think he will look back at that and regret that,” royal author Robert Jobson told Hollywood Life. “He has now been separated from his entire family in a degree of acrimony. He [has] none of his friends over there. He’s basically isolated and the things that he loved, the military side of things… that’s been taken away from him. I’ve known, well enough, Harry since he was a little boy and he loved the military since he was a little boy… I feel that he’s gonna regret this has happened. It was a great role that [Meghan] got. She gave up on it too soon. The biggest role of her life and she gave up on that… She could have asked for more help, a little more time, and it would have been given to her.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won’t find normalcy post-Megxit

Though Hollywood is the duchess’ hometown, it’s still very much a celeb-filled town swirling with paparazzi and industry bigwigs. It’s certainly not a town where the couple will be able to lay low, especially if they want to make a name for themselves outside of the royal family.

“LA paparazzi don’t play by the rules, they will follow them, they are considered fair game,” a British photographer told Yahoo U.K. “Meghan is an actress, they are in a weird limbo, they have protection and they are trying to make money. They are going to get photographed a lot more and there is not much they can do.”

Many royal experts believe that Harry will need to become the exact thing he fears, a full-fledged celebrity. “The couple’s future isn’t certain,” The Atlantic’s Caitlin Flanagan explained. “They are hugely appealing and glamorous. Everyone in Hollywood is eager to host them. The first few years of this plan are going to be heady. But — as Harry has often said — as soon as William’s three children become old enough to emerge as individual figures, the klieg lights will immediately turn to them. He is in a rush to make his mark and seems to treat life as a race, too.”

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