Queen Elizabeth II Feared Prince Harry’s Openness Would Cause the Media to ‘Want More and More,’ According to Book
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their side of the story and revealed what life was really like as royal family members. Prince Harry has been open about his experience with anxiety and he shared how the death of his mother, Princess Diana, affected him. Some people were happy to hear from the prince, but Queen Elizabeth II reportedly had concerns.
Prince Harry opened up during ‘The Telegraph’ podcast
As Prince Harry matured, he tried to “shake off his playboy image,” according to author Katie Nicholl in her book The New Royals. During this period of growth, Harry began to open up and share some of his life experiences.
Nicholl mentions an interview Prince Harry gave in 2017 where he promoted Heads Together, a mental health initiative he worked on with Kate Middleton and Prince William. During his podcast interview with The Telegraph columnist Byrony Gordon, he admits he almost had “a complete breakdown” because of the daily pressures he faces. He also says he emotionally shut down after the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
“I can safely say that losing my mom at the age of 12 and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but also my work as well,” Prince Harry tells Gordon during her Mad World podcast.
Prince Harry says he tried to suppress his emotions because he thought it would make him feel worse if he spoke about how he was feeling. However, his brother and those around him suggested he seek therapy. “And it was only three years ago, funny enough from the support around and my brother and other people saying, ‘You really need to deal with this,’” says Harry.
When asked how he “stays sane,” Prince Harry answered honestly. He says he doesn’t really know, and he admits he has trouble in that area. “I probably have been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and lies and misconceptions and everything is coming at you from every angle,” says Harry.
Queen Elizabeth II was concerned about Prince Harry’s openness, according to book
Although Prince Harry was happy to share his experience, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly didn’t feel comfortable with her grandson being so candid. According to Nicholl, the late Lady Elizabeth Anson (a cousin of the queen) said the queen feared Harry’s revelations would cause the media to want more from him. She reportedly believed that the media would become insatiable and continue looking for information about Harry’s personal life.
Nicholl reports Anson told the queen she didn’t think it was a bad thing that Harry spoke about his mental health experience. However, Queen Elizabeth allegedly did not agree. She reportedly said the media “will want to know more and more.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s desire to live a normal life
Meghan and Harry have said they want to maintain some semblance of a regular life. During an interview with The Cut, Meghan says this is one of the reasons they stepped away from their roles as senior royals. For example, the duchess says if she picked Archie up from school while they were still living in the UK, she would have to navigate a group of photographers.
“Sorry, I have a problem with that,” Meghan tells The Cut. “That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
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