Four years ago he cut his ties with the British monarchyat odds with his brother William, heir to the crown, and established his residence near Los Angeles, with his American wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children. After taking that step, the Duke of Sussex found the things he wanted, including having a economic independence and keeping his family away from media pressure which he had suffered since his birth on September 15, 1984.
Life without real privileges
Harrys stopped receiving public funds in 2020to the give up to be active member of the royal family. With his autobiography, “In the Shadow”, published in January 2023, the British press claims that he achieved some revenue of £22m ($28.7 million), while it is said that the couple received around $28.7 million in 2022. 100 million dollars from Netflix for a documentary they starred in.
“Life is more difficult than ever for the young members of the British royal family. They have to develop as individuals and create a worthwhile role for themselves, while constantly under the media spotlight,” Mark Garnett, professor of political science at Lancaster University, told AFP.
One of the reasons for this ‘flight’ to the United States was free their two children from media pressureArchie and Lilibet, aged five and three respectively, as Meghan Markle confessed in a television interview with the two, in the United States in 2021, with presenter Oprah Winfrey. “The pressure from the media was particularly difficult for Prince Harry, who was probably never going to become king and lost his mother as a child, in tragic circumstances. The British public has shown sympathy for him, but opinion is divided now that his commitment to the country is practically over,” adds Garnett.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex live in Montecito, California, in a neighborhood that counts among its neighbors the actress Gwyneth Paltrow and the singer Katy Perry. Their nine-room house is valued at around 14 million dollarsand has Pacific views, gym, cinema and swimming pool.
Relations with the British media
Despite everything, they continue to be the focus of attention, as when they visited Colombia in August, invited by Vice President Francia Márquez, as part of a campaign against discrimination and cyberbullying. At the same time, the prince maintains a bitter battle with the British mediaagainst which he has filed several lawsuitswhom he accuses of obtain information illegally. The Duke of Sussex also reproaches those newspapers for having abused his wifewhich contributed to his departure to the United States. He also considers them guilty of the death of their mother, Princess Dianain a car accident in 1997 in Paris, when he was chased by paparazzi‘His sporadic trips to the United Kingdom for these judicial matters represent the distancing from his family, not keep in touch with her.
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“He is completely isolated. Any suggestion of a return, even with a minor role within the monarchy, seems completely unrealistic to me,” Pauline MacLaran, a professor at Royal Holloway University, told AFP.
Royal family divided
He only broke that isolation on February 6, on a lightning trip to London to visit his father after the announcement that Charles III was suffering from cancer. But he avoids his older brother, the heir William. Harry’s accusations in his autobiography, in which he calls him irascible and violentthey were estranged for good. Even the cancer of William’s wife Catherine, announced at almost the same time as Charles III’s, did not bring them closer. “The idea of a divided royal family only increases unwanted media attention,” predicts Mark Garnett.
Source: Ambito
