Prince Harry Reveals If He Thinks British Monarchy Should Exist

The British Monarchy has evolved into a mostly ceremonial government body over the last two centuries or so, but some critics don't even want it to continue in that respect. Since Prince Harry has eschewed so many of the royal family's traditions and left his roles there behind, some proponents of monarchy abolition have hoped that he would eventually join their side. In a new interview on Monday, Prince Harry spoke out for the first time about his personal feelings on the future of the monarchy in the U.K.

Prince Harry appeared on Good Morning America on Monday for an interview with Michael Strahan, and he did not voice his support for outright abolishing the British monarchy. He said that he "genuinely" believes there is a place for the crown in the modern age, but he feels that the station will need some serious overhauling to stay practical and productive. After traveling widely, marrying actress Meghan Markle and moving to the U.S., Prince Harry said that he thinks he has a better idea of how the monarchy could serve its people than he would have gotten living in the palace.

"I think the same process that I went through regarding my own unconscious bias would be hugely beneficial to them," he said. "It's not racism, but unconscious bias if not confronted, if not acknowledged, if not learned and grown from, that can then move into racism. And the way that I understand it is that we all want to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem."

Prince Harry lamented that he and Markle were not able to make their life in Buckingham Palace work after their marriage. Since the ceremonial roles of the crown are now more important for cultural representation than anything else, he felt that it was a "huge missed opportunity" for the crown to diversify its public-facing image.

"It's what [Markle] said to me from right from the beginning, representation," Prince Harry explained. "And I, as a privileged white man, didn't really understand what she was talking about." The prince also felt that these kinds of nuanced conversations were hard to have in the U.K. because of the nature of the media there – which is shaped by the monarchy's behavior and reactions. He views this as a "codependency," and said that he hoped his memoir would help "change the media landscape" of his home country.

"In this instance, the most popular, most read and therefore most influential newspapers in our country are tabloids," he said. "That affects the country. That affects the construct of the country. There are some people, especially in the U.K., who have been led to believe that because you are a member of the royal family, somehow everyone owns you or has a stake in you. And that's a message that has been purely pushed out by the British tabloids, and it creates real problems within that family and that relationship."

"Of course, there has to be some sort of relationship, but where it's got to now is incredibly unhealthy," he added. Prince Harry said that he hopes these changes will begin to take shape for the sake of his children, as he wants them to have a relationship with their family and to be welcome in the monarchy of the future.

"I also worry about other young kids within that family if this continues," he said, referring to the royal family. "Because who's to say that someone else doesn't fill my shoes and that their partner, whether it's a husband or a wife or boyfriend or a girlfriend, doesn't get treated exactly the same as Meghan did?"

Prince Harry's full interview is available to watch now on YouTube and on Good Morning America's website. His book, Spare, will be available on Tuesday, Jan. 10 in print, digital and audiobook formats.

0comments