What’s going on with Prince Harry? Why he’s no longer a royal & what’s next

2022 was a series of highs and lows for the British Royal Family. Most notably, the queen passed away in September, ending a 70-year reign over the British Empire. However, it also saw her celebrate her platinum jubilee and a new king.

But one of the most complicated parts of 2022 was Prince Harry’s role within the family. Fans of the royals from all over the world found themselves asking questions like:

* Is Prince Harry still close to his family?
*Has he abdicated all Royal duties?
* What does Prince Harry do now?

Here’s an explanation of what’s going on with Prince Harry!

He gave up his title

Back in 2020, Prince Harry and Megan Markle decided to move to the USA and stop partaking in royal duties. This meant that they gave up their HRH (his/ her royal highness) titles.

Technically, Harry is still a prince due to his birthright (he’s the son of the now King Charles) and he is still fifth in line to the throne, but as he’s given up his HRH title, he isn’t actually officially called Prince Harry (although everyone still calls him that).

Why did he leave?

The infamous “Megxit” happened for a few reasons. Harry said that he left due to a “lack of support and understanding” and that the UK press was “destroying” his mental health.

There have also been allegations of racism toward Megan Markle – they speak of an “unconscious bias” that was always present in the royal family which they wanted to move away from.

In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry describes his childhood and the feeling of always being second-best to his brother, Prince William, who was in line for the throne. It’s easy to imagine how this would cause tension and difficulty in the family. Indeed, it caused some issues with Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret throughout the previous queen’s reign, and it undoubtedly caused issues for princes and princesses long before.

In the modern world, where it’s easy to start a new life on the other side of the globe and where there is much more awareness about situations that can affect people’s mental health, Harry obviously found it a lot easier to escape.

Harry’s scandals

Although most sympathetic people can understand that the royal family situation is a very high-pressure environment, particularly for people like Prince Harry who ultimately act as figureheads and don’t have a realistic prospect of becoming the monarch, Prince Harry has been the center of a few scandals throughout the years.

In 2004, he attempted to fight one of the photographers who were following him around, in 2006, stories surfaced of him hooking up with Real Housewife Catherine Ommanney, and videos once surfaced of him dancing to Michael Jackson in Croatia!

However, the biggest scandal of all was probably the infamous Las Vegas party, where he played blackjack and drank all day and was ultimately photographed naked – not a great look when you’re a royal! This took place in 2012, but the story still surfaces frequently, with Prince Harry talking about his “shame” over it just a few weeks ago.

Some of these “scandals” are simply demonstrations of a young man being human, and the fact that they get so much media attention shows how oppressive it can be to be a part of the royal family. Prince Harry nowadays seems a happily married man, but it can be argued that he acted out quite a lot before quitting the royal family due to the restrictions that were constantly put in place around him.

What’s next for Prince Harry?

Prince Harry still lives in the USA. There have been a few wars of words between him, his dad and his brother in recent weeks, largely due to the release of Spare, which was his memoir about living in the royal family. Generally, people are very divided about whether they support the royal; royalists tend to side with Charles and the Royal Family, whereas people who are pro the abolition of monarchy may feel that Harry is acting correctly.

He did attend the Queen’s funeral back in September and saw his grandma on the day that she died. It’s unsure whether he will come back to the UK for King Charles’s coronation, which will be the next major event for the family.

However, it has been reported that King Charles wants Harry and Megan to attend his coronation, but he has been concerned that his son may pull a “stunt” while there; he’s keen for Harry to not steal the limelight of what is a very momentous day for the royal family.

In conclusion, Prince Harry is distancing himself from the Royal Family and has been talking about how it is an oppressive and difficult environment. However, he has made it back for a few important events, but it’s unsure whether he’ll be there for future ones.