Prince Harry: 'I wanted out'
Prince Harry shocked the world this week when he said that no royal actually wants to be king or queen.
Now it seems his confession could be steeped in his own feelings about the monarchy, after he revealed that there was a time he considered throwing it all in.
In a candid interview, the 32-year-old prince said that, “there was a time when… I wanted out”.
He went on to explain that it was only for a brief period, and he “then decided to stay in and work out a role for myself” – a decision that was heavily influenced by his sense of loyalty to his grandmother, the Queen.
This was all taking place during Harry’s 20s, a time in his life which he has previously described as “total chaos”.
He was still trying to shut out the grief of his mother’s death, and came very close to having a “breakdown” on a number of occasions.
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Looking outside of the constraints of the monarchy, he found purpose and something of a normal life in the army, however that was suddenly taken away from him at age 22, when his location on deployment in Afghanistan was leaked to a British magazine, and he was subsequently sent home over safety concerns.
After that, he told journalist Angela Levin, “I felt very resentful. Being in the army was the best escape I’ve ever had. I felt as though I was really achieving something.”
It was as though he was no longer a prince, just plain old “Harry”, and he explained that afterwards, “I spent many years kicking my heels and I didn’t want to grow up.”
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Fortunately, Harry later sought counselling on his brother William’s advice, and found solace in what is now an important part of his current life; charity work.
Describing how much he loves meeting people as part of his charity work, the prince said, “We are incredibly passionate with our charities and they have been chosen because they are on the path shown to me by our mother.”
One that is particularly close to his heart is the Invictus Games, a Paralympic style sporting event for injured service men and women which he established.
Harry’s recent visit to Sydney was to promote the games, which will be coming to Australia next year.
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