Prince Harry Reveals Plan to Parent Differently Than Father Prince Charles

Prince Harry is already a father to one, and as he and wife Meghan Markle prepare to welcome their second child together, the Duke of Sussex says he wants to break “the cycle” of parenting handed down through his family. The soon-to-be father of two got candid about fatherhood on the Thursday, May 13, episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, where he confessed his plans to parent his children differently than how his father Prince Charles raised him.

Reflecting on his own upbringing, the royal admitted his father handed down a “cycle” of “genetic pain and suffering” to him. He said “when it comes to parenting, if I’ve experienced some form of pain and suffering because of the pain and suffering that perhaps my father or parents suffered” and vowed to “make sure I break that cycle so that I don’t pass it on.” Harry said he doesn’t believe “anyone should be pointing the finger and blaming anyone,” explaining instead that “as parents, we should try and make sure we’re doing the most we can. Like, ‘That happened to me. I’m gonna make sure that doesn’t happen to you.’” Harry said it was through better “awareness” of his father’s life and upbringing that he has been able to raise his son, 2-year-old Archie, differently.

“Suddenly, I started to piece it all together and go, ‘OK, so this is where he went to school, this is what happened, I know this about his life, I also know that is connected to his parents so that means he’s treated me the way he was treated, so how can I change that for my own kids?’” the duke said. “And here I am, I moved my whole family to the US, that wasn’t the plan but sometimes you’ve got make decisions and put your family first and put your mental health first.”

As royal fans know, Harry and Markle moved to the U.S. in early 2020 just after announcing their decision to step back as senior members of the British royal family. The decision came several months ahead of their son’s first birthday. Speaking with Shepard on the podcast, Harry said he feels “more free” with his life in the U.S. than he ever did across the pond. He said that “living here now I can actually lift my head and actually I feel different, my shoulders have dropped, so has hers, you can walk around feeling a little bit more free.” He added that he “can take Archie on the back of my bicycle. I never had the chance to do that.”