Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and sixth in line to the British throne, has two options: suck it up and better handle the pressure of his role, or else abdicate before he gets any closer in the line of succession.
Harry has every right to choose the latter option, and he should receive no criticism if he elects to take it.
But if Harry continues serving in the royal family, he needs to stop whimpering about the pressures he and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, are suffering from media attention on their lives. This is part of being a British royal. It is at once a predictable and understandable consequence of their central role as incarnations of the British state. Harry’s complaints, however, suggest he believes members of the royal family deserve a privacy incompatible with their roles as national figures.
Speaking to the broadcaster ITV this weekend, Harry and Markle lamented media coverage of their lives. Harry, who has started suing media outlets for what he asserts is false reporting, expressed his mental anguish and observed that his relationship with older brother Prince William now has “good days” and “bad days.” Markle also described herself as struggling. Responding to those comments, the BBC quoted a source close to William as suggesting he is “worried” about the couple. The BBC source added that the royal family believes Harry and Markle are in a “fragile place.”
I have some sympathy for the couple. Mental health concerns deserve public respect, and the constant media speculation over their marriage and relationship with the rest of the royal family must be stressful. Still, the couple aren’t really helping themselves here. If Harry’s ambition is to create less of a media sensation, he isn’t acting like it.
Consider Harry’s recent pledge not to have more than two children in order to mitigate his carbon footprint. Now, aside from being very silly (new technology is the only way to offset global emissions from China and India — even zero population growth wouldn’t help), that comment was clearly going to generate significant media buzz. If nothing else, it comes across as an insult to British families with more than two children. Harry must have known as much. Indeed, as with his father Prince Charles’s advocacy on environmental issues, we must assume Harry intended for his comments to spark debate.
Yet, as with a Sky News reporter earlier this month, Harry snaps whenever the media challenge him in his outspokenness. Supporting her husband’s fury, Markle told ITV that she laments the absence of “fair” media coverage. But again, the couple’s hypocrisy on climate change seems designed to attract media criticism. If not, why would the couple fly in private jets when there are no compelling security grounds for doing so? These are avoidable controversies.
It’s a shame. Until recently, Harry was the best representative for the royal family. He was a respected and amusing veteran of the Afghanistan conflict who showed the royal family as a modern, dynamic, and relatable institution. These days, however, Harry is simply a source of growing controversy.
Ultimately, being a member of the royal family is always going to attract British media attention. That isn’t going to change. Harry and Markle thus need to consider whether this is the life they can lead or whether it’s one they should leave. For the sake of their immediate family, the royal family, and Britain, they must now decide between getting a grip or abdicating with honor.
