Prince Harry on stepping back from royal duties, relationship with dad and brother

08 March 2021 - 20:04 By Khanyisile Ngcobo
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are interviewed by Oprah Winfrey.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are interviewed by Oprah Winfrey.
Image: Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese/Handout via Reuters

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, has revealed he would've never stepped back from royal duties had he not met wife Meghan because he, like his family, was “trapped within the system”.

Harry made this bombshell revelation during an explosive two-hour sit-down with Oprah Winfrey on Monday evening.

The duke was joined by Meghan, where they spoke on a range of issues, including racism, their decision to step back from royal duties and life in the US.

Winfrey first spoke with the duchess on her marriage into the family, the treatment she was subjected to and suicidal thoughts she had. Harry then joined the discussion and revealed how “trapped” he was within the royal institution, despite his privileged upbringing.

“I was trapped but I didn't know I was trapped but the moment I met Meg and our worlds collided in the most amazing of ways.”

Winfrey pressed the prince on what he meant by being trapped, to which he clarified that he was “trapped within the system”, like the rest of his family.

“My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don't get to leave and I have huge compassion for that.”

Harry also spoke of his current relationship with his family, after he was financially cut off during the first quarter of 2020 when he and Meghan announced their decision to step down as senior royals.

He revealed that he's spoken to his grandmother in the past year more than he'd done in “many, many years” but revealed that there was a lot of mending to be done in his relationship with his father, Prince Charles. He'd earlier revealed that his father stopped taking his calls before they made their announcement.

“There's a lot to work through there, I feel really let down ... but at the same time I will always love him but there's a lot of hurt that's happened.”

On his relationship with brother Prince William, which was reportedly strained after the couple's bombshell announcement, Harry reiterated that he'd always love his brother “to bits” but that they were on different paths.


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