Prince Harry is setting the record straight.
During his surprise visit to Ukraine, the Duke of Sussex, 41, was asked by ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship if he recognized the description of himself as “not a working royal.”
“No,” Harry insisted. “I will always be part of the royal family.”
He and wife Meghan Markle made headlines across the globe when they announced on Instagram in 2020 that they intended to step back as senior royals but still continue their philanthropic work, making non-official visits to Australia, Jordan and Colombia.
“I am here working doing the very thing that I was born to do,” Harry added. “And I enjoy doing it. I enjoy being able to do these trips and come and support the people that I’ve met before, the friends that I’ve made and hopefully bringing attention to issues that, you know, for one reason or another, drop out of the news because something else has popped up.”
James Whatling
Being a royal isn’t something he always wanted, though.
While attending the InterEdge Summit in Australia’s Melbourne Park on Thursday, April 16, Harry confessed, per People, that he didn’t want the role following Princess Diana’s death in 1997 — a comment that enraged estranged brother Prince William, as Examiner previously reported.
“I was like, ‘I don’t want this job, I won’t want this role — wherever this is headed, I don’t like it,” he explained. “It killed my mum and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.”
Eventually, Harry realized something, though.
“If there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world?” he wondered. “Also, what would my mum want me to do? And that really changed my own perspective.”
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