‘Still Royal’? Prince Harry’s Remark Puts Spotlight on His Future With Meghan

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from their royal duties in 2020 and settled in California. Six years later, when the Duke of Sussex was asked if he identifies with the phrase “not a working royal,” he insisted he would “always be a part of the royal family.” The retort has since gone viral online, and social media users have been responding in large numbers.

While speaking with ITV during his latest trip to Ukraine, Prince Harry calmly pushed back against the phrase “not a working royal.” Insisting that he would always be a part of the royal family, he said he enjoyed doing things for society that he would not be able to do without his public profile.

He said, “I am here working doing the things that I was born to do. And, you know, I enjoy doing it. I enjoy coming to do these trips and supporting that I’ve ever before, the friends that I’ve made, and hopefully, bringing attention to issues that, for one reason or another, drop out of the news because something else has popped up.”

Social media users reacted negatively to Harry’s pushback against the “not a working royal” label. One user wrote, “Of course he will always be a Royal and part of his family but he is not a working Royal. Think he regrets his decisions but he burned his bridges when he and his wife made false accusations against them to make money. Simply go away.”

Another user commented, “The King should strip this Non-Royal of all Royal titles because he is not a working royal and he wants his life private and away from the media so he would be happy with that outcome surely.”

Meanwhile, a third user opined that Harry was trying to earn “brownie points” with his Ukraine trip after a “disastrous trip” to Australia. The user further added, “I always remember he said somewhere, ‘just call me Harry’. So he’s a Prince when it suits him.”

During his recent Australia trip, Harry spoke about the bitterness he felt toward royal life following the death of his mother.

He said, “After my mom 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 mom, and I was very much against it.’” However, he said his perspective changed after realizing he could use his popularity to make a difference in the world.

Royal biographer Tom Bower suggested Harry could return to the palace as a working royal but said the solution would be “untenable” as long as he remains married to Markle, reported The Daily Beast.

He said, “I think Harry would like that solution [returning to the palace as a working royal], but Meghan definitely would not want to live in London … She wants to be a star in California, so I think that as long as they’re married, that is a completely untenable solution.”

The royal biographer further added that the British public would never fully accept the Suits alum as a royal in-law. He said, “Even if she groveled, they’d feel, ‘Well, you’re not groveling enough,’ Bower said. “They’re really angry with her.”