Continuing what appears to be a concerted effort in recent months to demystify the royal family, Prince Harry granted Newsweek an extensive interview, printed Thursday, detailing his attempts at normalcy and continuing the legacy of his late mother.
Harry even suggested that no one in the royal family is itching to take over for Queen Elizabeth II, even as the duty looms.
“The monarchy is a force for good,” the prince said, speaking specifically of his grandmother’s work but emphasizing how the younger generation of royals are actively trying to modernize the monarchy.
“We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people,” Harry said. “Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.”
A sense of duty sparring with an ache for the ordinary seems to define the prince’s existence, with much of it rooted in the life — and death — of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Harry and his brother, Prince William, have been increasingly transparent in the last year about the lasting psychological scars of their mother’s tragic death when they were just children.
“My mother died when I was very young. I didn’t want to be in the position I was in, but I eventually pulled my head out of the sand, started listening to people and decided to use my role for good,” Harry told Newsweek, before continuing to speak about the value his mother placed on leading an ordinary life.
“Thank goodness I’m not completely cut off from reality,” Harry said, explaining how Diana went to great pains to make sure her sons did not grow up sheltered and unaware of the struggles of the rest of humanity.
“I intuitively know what my mother would like me to do and want to progress with work she couldn’t complete,” Harry added.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death in a car crash. She was 36.
Newsweek’s story on Prince Harry is available online and will appear in the magazine’s June 30 issue.
