With the Atlantic between him and his family and international travel still restricted, Harry’s new life has come at a cost. His relationship with his brother is reportedly not as close as it used to be, and William is still said to be hurt over how Harry and Meghan chose to leave the royal family at the start of the year. After a period of not speaking, however, the brothers are back in regular touch, and sources say they will make a point of speaking on Harry’s birthday. “They always talk on important days like that,” said a royal source.
Meanwhile, tensions between the two siblings over Harry and Meghan’s departure have been smoothed out and things are said to be “better” between them. Harry will also catch up with his father, Prince Charles, and his grandmother, the queen, whom he frequently calls and video-chats. According to a family friend, the queen loves watching Archie onscreen and has commented on his streak of red hair.
While Harry’s departure from the royal family is still a sore spot, Diana would likely have been one of the few family members to approve of the move, according to Seward, who knew the late princess. “Diana often spoke about wanting to move to America; Harry’s actually done it,” she said. “I’m still surprised, though, that Harry has left Britain. I know he has always hated the media and quite often hated being a prince, but I never thought he would leave his homeland. He’s always been such a lover of British life, polo, the countryside, the shooting, Scotland. That said, with Harry it’s all or nothing, and it always has been. He doesn’t do anything by halves. He’s always done things differently. As a boy, people at the palace would say, ‘Harry’s Harry, he does his own thing,’ and he always has.”
Meghan and Harry still have much to prove as they begin their lives in California, and there are risks involved, especially for Harry, who has no experience in Hollywood. But with Meghan and their experienced team of aides leading the way, there is much excitement about the Sussexes’ foray into the small screen at Netflix. The couple have said they plan to make original content focused on the issues that matter to them such as civil rights, conservation, and mental health, as well as children’s content. A series about successful women is believed to be their first venture.
As a royal, Harry was able to pursue his role as a global philanthropist, but now that he is free from the constraints of the royal family, and with a massive platform thanks to Netflix, he can drive his passion projects the way he wants to while earning a fortune. Harry and Meghan also reportedly intend to resume public speaking engagements when the pandemic abates, and will be able to command fees upward of $500,000 per talk, according to sources. “As a royal who was not particularly high up the ladder within the institution, Harry wasn’t always able to go at it full force,” said Scobie. “Now he’s in control. He gets to juggle multiple projects at the same time; the budget is there, the space is there.”
Harry’s life has changed in the past four years beyond recognition. Once the royal rebel, Harry is now a clean-living, yoga-loving feminist. Fatherhood has changed him more than anything else, and his priority is his son, as he recently said in a video call with the Rugby Football League: “Our little man is our number-one priority, but then our work after that is the second priority,” he said. “We’re just doing everything we can to do our part to make the world a better place.”