Prince Harry disclosed the precise moment he decided against embracing royal life during a recent four-day tour of Australia with his wife, Meghan Markle.
Speech at Melbourne Leadership Summit
The Duke of Sussex addressed a leadership summit in Melbourne, taking the stage at the InterEdge event. Following his speech, he engaged in a discussion with Australian business leader and former politician Brendan Nelson on topics including grief and royal responsibilities.
Harry pinpointed his realization to when he was 12 years old, shortly after his mother’s death just before his 13th birthday. He stated: “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.’ ‘It killed my mum and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.”
Shift in Perspective
Harry explained how his outlook evolved: “Eventually I realised – well, hang on, 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? And also, what would my mum want me to do? That really changed my own perspective.”
This marks one of his recent public reflections on his mother, Princess Diana, who died in 1997 following a car crash in Paris involving her partner Dodi Fayed. She passed away hours later in a hospital.
