'Royal drama is like Succession - Harry was right to quit to be better dad'

19 April 2023 , 14:05

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Prince Harry's relations with his family have gone from bad to worse in recent years (Image: Getty Images)

You can’t say the Royal Family doesn’t provide an excellent public service.

For when it comes to drama, they give us even more bang for our buck than the BBC.

The run-up to the Coronation has it all: secret meetings between estranged father and son, warring siblings, constantly-changing allegiances, power plays over invites and an ongoing obsession with the minutiae of their titles.

We’ve even got the Shakespearean villain in Prince Andrew, the controversial outcast, using whatever leverage and cunning he has to squirm his way back into the fold - and earn himself a hat with some impressive feathery plumage to boot.

To us mere mortals, the whole saga’s playing out like a 24/7 version of Succession, with slightly less swearing (and actually a lot less money on the line).

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Yet here’s the question: is it any wonder Prince Harry might have wanted a different life for his own family?

Put the money aside and ask yourself: Would you rather have a home life, where you must constantly consider how your every action or decision will reflect on the family ‘Brand’?

Harry will rush back to the US hours after the Coronation to be with his son Archie on his birthday (EPN/Newscom / Avalon)

Harry doesn't want to miss his son's big day (PA)

Where your father and sibling are so constrained by the the formality of their positions, there’s an unavoidable air of aloofness between you?

Or, would you prefer a loving home, where you can spend time with your kids, hug them, have fun with them, free from the constant, overriding obsession about how your every choice reflects the reputation of The Firm?

I’m not excusing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s behaviour - It’s been bratty at best.

But at the very least, Harry should be applauded for doing what he thought was right.

In his mind, quitting his senior royal role allows him to be an ever-present father to Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet. There are no royal engagements to pull him away. There’s no debate about whether or not Lilibet needs to wear tights to be proper. And less chance Archie will order Lilibet not to talk to him at school, like Harry claims William did to him at Eton.

Instead the Sussexes can live their life in sunny California, tending to their chicken coop and being a family that is full of warmth - one that, thanks to their love of therapy, is more than happy to talk about their feelings.

Harry’s is not a family that would dream of leaving him alone in his bedroom for hours after telling him his mum was dead.

Or one that would leave him so desperate for affection, one of his happiest teenage memories was getting to go on holiday with William’s bodyguard.

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Both are among the claims in his now infamous memoir, Spare. And whether or not recollections may vary on the other side, there’s no debate that Harry was unhappy in his old life. He was haunted by being The Spare. And whether or not he was imagining hardships and inventing snubs where none were intended, the fact remains that for him, it was an incredibly toxic situation.

By leaving that behind, to do what he thought would make him a happier person, could only in turn make him a happier and better father.

So while it may not be working out exactly as planned, in hindsight, Harry’s contribution to The Windsors’ bitter game of thrones, may not be the selfish actions of a spoilt prince at all.

Indeed having the guts to get out for his own good, could actually be the feather in his cap...

Jessica Boulton