Prince Harry pal claims he's 'an angry boy' in America: report
Prince Harry is said to be "an angry boy" as he’s isolated from his family and friends across the pond.
The claim was made by "one of Harry’s oldest friends" who said he's among the few to get "the odd WhatsApp from him." The unnamed pal spoke to The UK Sunday Times ahead of the Duke of Sussex’s 40th birthday in September.
"He’s an angry boy," the pal claimed. "Things haven’t turned out how he wanted. I think he misses being over here [in Britain] desperately and wants to be admired more. Anyone who knows him feels he’d rather be top of the pops here with everyone loving him, as they do with [his older brother] William and Kate."
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A spokesperson for Harry, 39, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about the report.
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that her sources, who know Harry’s pals, feel the claims are accurate.
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"For many American Brits, particularly from England, there are two sayings that sum us up," Fordwich explained. "The first from John Mahoney, ‘You can take the boy out of England, but you can’t take England out of the boy,’ referring to his huge emotional attachment to England. The other is from Shakespeare, ‘This precious stone set in the silver sea… This blessed plot, this Earth, this realm, this England.’"
According to the report, Harry’s circle of friends has significantly shrunk since he made his royal exit in 2020. In his Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," the prince admitted, "I miss my friends… I’ve lost a few friends in this process."
One of Harry’s pals told the outlet that many still cannot forgive the royal for choosing to air out his grievances since his exit.
"I can’t believe he’d stoop so low," said the pal. "It’s outrageously disloyal. Oprah, Netflix and then the book? Three strikes and you’re out."
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"Harry and [his wife] Meghan could have left with dignity and decency and not trash the institution," another friend of William and Harry’s told the outlet. "The conclusion is they’ve made money from trashing his family."
Harry has had a strained relationship with his family and has seen his father infrequently since he and his wife quit royal duties in 2020. At the time, the couple said the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British press were what had prompted them to step back as senior royals. The father of two has since detailed his rocky relationship with his family in TV interviews, a documentary and his memoir, "Spare."
Following his exit, Harry launched a legal challenge to the U.K. government’s refusal to let him pay for police protection when he came to Britain.
Harry claimed he and his family were endangered when visiting his home country because of hostility towards him and his wife. Harry also pointed out that the couple had been faced with ruthless hounding by the British news media. His lawyers said the prince feels unsafe bringing his children to the U.K.
In response, a government lawyer said Harry had been treated fairly and was still provided protection on some of his visits.
"[Harry] gave up what he was brought up to do, his relationship with his family and also, many of his close friends, to build a new life with Meghan and also with [their children] in California," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital.
"There have been persistent reports that he has changed," said Fitzwilliams. "I think that what his memoir ‘Spare’ highlighted was that he needed an excuse to lead a different life… He has needed therapy since his mother’s tragic death and is emotionally vulnerable."
"I do think he misses parts of his life in Britain," Fitzwilliams continued. "However, he is a campaigner for what he sees are press excesses and also his police protection… I see his future as a support to Meghan if she decides to go into politics, which she might, or otherwise in their charitable ventures together."
According to the report, Harry’s desire for freedom came at a hefty price. His relationship with William has been "shattered almost certainly beyond repair" as his relationship with his father, King Charles, is "strained to [a] breaking point." His ties to the rest of the royal family have also been "damaged by the artillery of truth bombs he has fired."
"I know how important it is for him to have a happy, settled family life, but you need to do more than that if you’re him," a source who has known Harry since his teenage years told the outlet.
"He has ended up isolated from his family and most of his old mates, in an environment where your friendships are not like the ones you forged as a young man," the source claimed. "He used to love a night out in the pub and hanging out in the country with friends. Maybe he has grown into a different person, but do I think he’d really suit the Californian lifestyle? No.
"Now we’ve seen it all play out, what has that left him with? On the surface, an enviable lifestyle — but for the Harry I know, I can’t imagine that gilded exile in California is where he wanted to end up."
The outlet noted that as Meghan spends time with longtime pals, Harry "has had to forge new friendships" in California.
A friend claimed to the outlet that he began to see Harry drifting away from his longtime pals before moving to the U.S.
"It was sad to see," the friend claimed. "He used to have lots of friends coming round to see him, army mates, polo friends, then they just tailed off. Then it was the yoga guru, the well-being guru, everyone saying we must eat less meat and fly less. We were all scratching our heads as they were taking private jets."
When Harry returned to London in May to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, his spokesperson issued a statement, implying that the king was too busy to meet with his son.
The outlet reported that they learned the king, who is battling cancer, agreed to Harry’s request to stay at a royal residence, which would make it easier for them to meet. However, Harry stayed at a hotel. The Duke of Sussex reportedly refused the monarch’s offer because it didn’t come with sufficient security. The suggestion reportedly "bemused" the king, 75, as he made Harry an offer to stay at Buckingham Palace, "one of the country’s most protected buildings."
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he believes there’s anger "on all sides."
"Harry revealed secrets of the royal family, which tarnished their sugar-coated image and was seen as an act of betrayal," said Pelham Turner. "Meghan took an American standpoint of standing up for herself and not allowing the vilification of her… which supposedly came from confidants close to the royal family… Personally, Harry and Meghan at the outset brought great modern value to the monarchy. The problem was they received more popularity than other royals in some areas."
"That was a disaster waiting to happen," Pelham Turner added.
The outlet noted that the king hasn’t seen his grandchildren in person since the Sussexes briefly came to the U.K. in June 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. William, whose feud with his sibling has deepened over the years, is said to barely speak about Harry.
"William and Harry are estranged and have been for years," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard claimed to Fox News Digital.
"Harry has committed the worst form of betrayal and disrespect by airing his family’s dirty laundry in public," she claimed. "I believe Prince William views Prince Harry as a nuisance and irrelevant to his future. I can’t see the brothers making up anytime soon."
But not everyone agrees with how Harry’s pals view the prince’s life in America.
"I couldn't disagree more with this dim view of Harry's experience in the U.S.," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital.
"He still keeps in close contact with a tight circle of his old U.K. pals and is now enjoying the company of a whole new batch of American friends," claimed Andersen.
"Would he like to make amends with his father and his brother? Would he like to carve out a special role for himself as a part-time working royal, especially at this crucial time when King Charles and Princess Kate are battling cancer? Of course! Harry has extended an olive branch to them on numerous occasions, but William and the king are digging in."
"Harry is undoubtedly saddened by these developments," Andersen claimed. "But in the meantime, he is enjoying his family in what most people would consider paradise - an estate in Montecito surrounded by some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Harry and Meghan have also aggressively pursued a wide range of philanthropic and business interests that keep them more than busy."
"They are not leading sad, empty, isolated lives in the way the Duke and Duchess of Windsor did - as tempting as that image may be to the Sussexes' detractors in the U.K.," Andersen added.