Prince Harry Compares Life In The Royal Family To Mix Of 'The Truman Show' And 'Being In A Zoo'

Sep 10, 2023

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced to the world on Jan. 8, 2020, that they would step down as senior working members of the British royal family in a move popularly dubbed "Megxit." By spring of 2020, the transition was complete, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were no longer carrying out royal duties. Now that Prince Harry and Meghan have left the UK, moved to Canada and lastly settled in Montecito, California, the couple has been speaking out about their experiences as royals. 

Prince Harry is best known for being the Duke of Sussex, aside from the fact that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, made their royal departure in 2020. Harry is the youngest son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana. His older brother is Prince William.

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8, 2022, many royal family members gathered to be together during this difficult time. Along with this came several new changes in the royal line for succession and new titles for several royal family members.

Harry has lived a life outside the family for quite some time now, as he and Meghan are raising their two children – Archie and Lilibet – in California in the United States. Although they had stepped down from their duties as senior royals the previous year, the year 2021 is when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the move to embark on their new life together.

On May 13, 2021, Prince Harry was the featured guest on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, and the former royal got extremely candid about his experience in the royal family and how he thought about leaving before meeting Meghan in his early 20s. 

Read on to learn more about Prince Harry's revealing podcast interview with Dax Shepherd.

Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan officially left the royal family, they have eschewed social media, instead opting to release official statements via their foundation, Archewell. In March 2021, they were propelled back into the press after a few months of laying low following their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. After the hubbub over the tell-all interview died down, they continued to stay busy, involving themselves in projects such as the Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” and the podcast “Archetypes.” Harry focused on his memoir “Spare,” working with Pulitzer Prize-winning ghostwriter J. R. Moehringer. The book was released in January 2023. 

Harry has also been dedicated to charity work and encouraging others to open up about their mental health issues. With Archewell, Harry and Meghan focus on non-profit activities and creative media ventures. Harry’s show, “The Me You Can’t See,” also focuses on mental health.

Harry and Meghan have also, on numerous occasions, revealed the hardships they feel they’ve endured and what it was truly like behind the scenes as working royals in the British royal family. 

In Harry’s interview with Dax Shephard on the "Armchair Expert" podcast on May 13, 2021, he spoke candidly about his experience as being born into the royal family. 

Harry went on to discuss the real lack of choice one has being born into the royal family:

"The biggest issue for me was that being born into it, you inherit the risk. You inherit the risk that comes with it, you inherit every element of it without choice. I think it's a really dangerous place to be if you don't have a choice ... Then people will, quite rightly, turn around and go, 'So what if you didn't have a choice? It was privilege!'"

After marrying Meghan, Harry said he was finally encouraged to go to therapy to address the feelings he had for so long. He said:

"She saw it. She saw it straight away. She could tell that I was hurting and that some of the stuff that was out of my control was making me really angry. It would make my blood boil," he said. 

Helplessness was one of the major emotions Harry said he felt, and he went on to detail three separate times in which this sense of helplessness plagued his life. The former-working royal said:

"The three major times I felt completely helpless: one, when I was a kid in the back of the car with mom being chased by paparazzi; two was in Afghanistan in an Apache helicopter; and then the third one was with my wife. Those are the moments in my life where, yeah, feeling helpless hurts. It really hurts."

However, Harry then talked about how despite his privilege, it was difficult for him to take on an institution such as the British monarchy. He said:

"That's when you think to yourself ... I've got the privilege. I've got the platform. I've got the influence, and even I can't fix this. I can't change this. When you start getting in your head about it, that's when it starts taking a toll."

He described life as a royal as a mix between “'The Truman Show,' and being in a zoo." Harry also revealed that he had previously thought about leaving his royal duties behind, even as early as in his 20s, before he met Meghan. He said the thought of leaving came after he was told to "grin and bear" his problems and just "get on with it."

What do you think about Prince Harry's candid thoughts on his life as a royal? Will you listen to the podcast yourself? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to others who are interested in staying updated regarding Meghan and Harry news.