Prince Harry has said he decided he never wanted to be a working royal following the death of his mother, Princess Diana, during a visit to Australia.
Speaking at a summit in Melbourne, the Duke of Sussex reflected on the impact of Diana’s 1997 death, which occurred after a high-speed paparazzi chase. He told attendees that as a teenager, he felt “lost, betrayed, or completely powerless” and spent years “doing as I was told” before eventually deciding to take a different path.
“After my mum died just before my 13th birthday I was like, ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role wherever this is headed, I don’t like it,’” he said, adding that the circumstances surrounding her death shaped his views on royal life.
Harry explained that over time, he realised he could use his platform outside of traditional royal duties to make a difference in ways that aligned more closely with his values.
His wife, Meghan Markle, also spoke during the visit, addressing issues around online abuse. Speaking at Swinburne University of Technology, she said she had experienced years of intense online harassment, describing herself as “the most trolled person in the entire world” at one point, but added: “I’m still here.”
The couple stepped back from their roles as senior members of the British royal family in 2020, relocating to the United States and pursuing independent projects and advocacy work.
Since then, they have continued to speak publicly about their experiences, including in the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan and Harry’s memoir Spare, which offered further insight into their relationship with the royal family, including King Charles III and Prince William.