Without trying to become Prince Harry Review, I’m giving you MOAR Prince Harry to brighten up your Sunday. Harry gave an interview to mark the end of his royal tour of New Zealand. He spoke about how the army kept him out of trouble, his love of wildlife conservation and his work this summer in Africa, and how he’s totally not Bridget Jones thank you very much. I’m including photos from day 8 of Harry’s New Zealand tour at the end of the post.
Several publications are claiming the exclusive on these quotes, but I’m going to go ahead and quote the Mirror here, because they offer the most comprehensive quotes that aren’t behind a paywall. In the interest of space, I’m not going to quote everything, so go here and here for the full articles and quotes.
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He’s not Bridget Jones: “Bridget Jones? Where’s that come from? Because I write my own diary or because I don’t have a girlfriend? Bridget Jones? That’s sad. No, for me, it’s good – I’m very happy not having a girlfriend. It’s not a case of anything… I’m not, sort of, looking. It’s cool.”
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Sticking up for Prince Charles: “My father never really gets listened to, which is disappointing because whatever he says normally is right, and about 10 years ahead of when the problems actually happen.
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“So I think from our point of view, we want to get better understanding, better knowledge – so if we do give a speech or have a conversation, people can look at us and think, well, actually they do have a bit of background knowledge.”
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Why he loves Africa: “One reason I love Africa so much is because I can be out there and mix in amongst communities, and have people not really care who I am.”
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Don’t call it a gap year: “Half of it is up in the air. I don’t want people really knowing where I’m going, I think that’s fair enough. But to put it to bed, it’s not a gap year! […]
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“For me, it’s three months of hard grafting, working with animals, every animal you could imagine. I’ve wanted to do it for five years, and being in the Army I never had the opportunity.
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“With my interests in conservation, which I’ve had all the way through, it’s nice to be able to get to work with people on the ground where the truth is. […] I’m fascinated to find out the truth of it. I don’t want to go as a tourist.”
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He’ll be shadowing a top vet in Africa: “To actually get the chance to embed myself with the top vet in southern Africa, travel with him for three weeks and every job he gets called up to do, I follow him. That’s like my dream. […] That could be anything to do with tracking poachers, darting elephants, lions.”
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On his future: “Working with animals and children would be the key job. If I could find something that works like that, then excellent.”
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The army kept him out of trouble: “I dread to think where I’d be without the Army. Bring back National Service – I’ve said that before. Yeah, definitely, without a doubt, it does keep you out of trouble.”
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On making bad choices: “You can make bad choices in life, but it’s how you recover from those and which path you end up taking.”
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Why he joined the army: “I did it because since I was a kid I enjoyed wearing the combats, I enjoyed running around with a rifle, jumping in a ditch and living in the rain, and stuff. But then when I grew up, it became more than that, it became an opportunity for me to escape the limelight.”
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On Prince George and Princess Charlotte and the armed forces: “I would definitely encourage George, and Charlotte if she wants to, to have some sort of involvement in the Armed Forces, guaranteed. […] It’s done no harm, just good, for me, and I know it’s the same for William.”
My thoughts:
1) Harry must have seen the hubbub he caused when he said he wanted a wife and babies – which included the Guardian comparing him to Bridget Jones – and is now backtracking.
2) I like that he is sticking up for Prince Charles; and yes Charles happens to be ahead of his time at times. He called for conservation and organic farming decades ago and no one listened, but now it’s all the rage. But what was that bit about gaining background knowledge so people will take the royals seriously when they speak on a subject? Because no one bothered to tell Duchess Kate that.
3) I think it’s interesting that though it is Prince William who is touted as this great force for wildlife conservation, it is Harry who is actually getting into the nitty gritty of what is going on in Africa while William just attaches his name to other people’s work, gives some speeches, and attends galas.
4) Harry says the army kept him out of trouble yet he blamed his Las Vegas incident on being “too much army, not enough prince”. I understand what he is saying in general (and for kids coming from ruff backgrounds), but he personally made a lot of mistakes in those ten years he was in the army and actually blamed the army for several of them. EDIT: If his “[The army] does keep you out of trouble” comment were referring to him being in even more trouble had he not gone into the army, then I can understand that and ease up on him here.
5) He loves Africa for the same reason he loves the army: it gets him out of the limelight. Because, you know, woe is Harry. It’s such a horrible burden on him to be a prince with all the luxury and women he could ever want. He just wants to be left alone, you guys. Harry might not be as whiny as William, but they both can be whiny babies at times.
On the topic of Harry being a whiny baby, here is a DM article about how while Harry is lonely and wants a wife, he still loves to party (though he can’t be too spontaneous now due to the Vegas incident and having to implement more security) and is unwilling to change anything about himself in order to find a good woman (and apparently expects his women to be at his beck and call and gets grumpy when they are not). And here is a Daily Beast article about how while Harry claims to want a wife and babies, he does not act like he is ready to settle down and will never attract a wife if he doesn’t settle down and become stable himself first. And here is an opinion piece about why Harry should not marry right now.
In the interest of not letting my crush disappear in a haze of eye-rolling due to whiny baby syndrome, let’s get to some fun picks of Harry on his last day in New Zealand (because damn, he looked really good).
Harry visited Auckland’s The Cloud for an event to promote the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup (hosted in New Zealand). Harry met with students and played soccer/football. He wore white. Harry looks so good in white. Harry also took part in training exercises at the AUT Millenium Institute. While meeting the crowd, Harry got a giant picture of his mother.
Photos: Kensington Palace @KensingtonRoyal / Governor-General of NZ @GovGeneralNZ / Getty
I’m glad he came out and said he’s not looking and he’s happy without a girlfriend right now. Now maybe the press (you DM!) will back the F off and leave him alone. Let him do the work he’s going to do and get on with his life. If they want to pick on someone go after the do nothing Cambridges.
I’m glad he said something, too. I’m sick of the press pushing him to marry someone. They need to let him be. He’ll find someone when he’s ready.
It’s so true about Prince Charles. I do believe he’s actually going to make a great king. He does A LOT of good work that actually make a tangible difference that the media doesn’t talk about.
Side note: Have you seen the DM article on Kate joining the WI tea club in Norfolk, funniest comment from someone ‘harriet’:
“At the rate Kate’s going this meeting will probably count as an official engagement for her yearly total” – lol. Oh and Carole’s a baby expert now, writing for two magazine – not paid in cash but free advertising.
Back to our fav ginger.
While I can see the allure of being unrecognised I don’t think his comments are about that re: his love for Africa. Harry’s long had a love for Africa and her people, he’s spoken of it several times before.
His first royal tour was with his father to South Africa not long after his mother died and there was a notable difference in his demeanour. He also spent part of his gap year there and was deeply impacted – proof of that, and not just talk from him and those who spoke about it, is the charity – which he’s been quite serious about.
http://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/183200/Prince-Harry-and-his-love-affair-with-Africa
People who’ve been to Africa comment on the warmth, generosity and hospitality of the people. Harry, clearly being someone who engages well with people and seems to enjoy it – particularly children (who can tell a fraud a mile away), would love Africa for this reason alone I reckon.
He talks about being out there and mixing with the communities. We’ve seen he takes interest in people. So I don’t think Harry’s comments on his love for Africa are about not being recognised for the sake of escaping the limelight but rather being amongst the people, having genuine interactions, the kind you can have with someone when celebrity/status/rank aren’t an issues and both parties can just relax and be.
Take heart and crush one 🙂 , we don’t have another William on our hands, escaping the limelight for privacy’s sake, privilege without duties and isolating himself.
He also loves the wildlife (which might why he actually does something about protecting it) and has said in the past (2007 if I remember correctly) if he wasn’t a prince he’d probably be a wildlife photographer or work in Africa on game reserves and similar stuff to what he’s mention in the recent quotes about conservation (people seeing the value in protecting their wildlife).
Charles gets made fun of and not listened to because Diana used to outshine him, then he was a laughing stock because of the whole Camilla/tampon thing, then he was the bad guy for divorcing Diana, etc. But Charles does a lot that the press does not pay attention to. And he has been implementing things via his Prince’s charity for years. His charities pioneered organic farming in the UK. And his “black spider memos” only served to reveal how genuinely invested in his causes he is. There was nothing scandalous about them at all.
Thanks for the breakdown on that interview. The press must listen to every word and then try to trip him up?
I give him a pass if some comments sound a bit whiny. He’s been in the spotlight and on the go all the time during this tour. I’d want to go to bed for a week, not have to go to yet another interview.
Nice he made a point of supporting his father.
Thanks for including the 5th from last photo, the goal he scored with that kick won the match.
(I suspect that even if Harry was not royal he would still attract attention due to the sort of person he is.)
Not worldwide attention. He’d probably still be a charmer and get all the ladies, but he would live a fairly quiet life if her were not royal. I could see him still doing the army and his charity work, but he would be quiet about it.
The press always try and ask questions that will lead to a good headline. They do it for everyone.
Thank you for the Harry post, KMR. I’ve always given Harry a little slack. He was quite young when Diana died. While I am waiting for my ring, I agree that he should not rush into marriage. He is still young and I’m sure that there is an immature side to him. I’d rather him wait, for me specifically, to find the right woman who can accept and love all aspects of him.
It will be interesting to see how William the Petulant reacts to this. I am sure that we will find a way to steal his thunder. It will either be a pic of Charlotte and George or a comment. I am really tiring of Will and Kate. My husband, yes, he knows about my love for Harry and is willing to step back, wanted to purchase the special People and US magazines that covered Charlotte’s birth. I looked and told him to give me the $25 to purchase a good book. I am getting tired of the sugary articles and the heavily recycled pictures. If you compare pics from Will and Harry and Charlotte and George, it is quite different.
William the Petulant hahahah. I love this title! Thanks Rhiannon!
Hi, Rhiannon. I love your comment about William the Petulant. I think you are right, he’s going to have to release photos of Charlotte and George in order to steal Harry’s thunder.
So glad your husband is supportive of your feelings about Harry, btw.
On, and save the money for those magazines and do purchase a good book. I, too, am getting so sick and tired of everything Sugar about Kate all the time!
Harry was twelve when Diana died, so not that young.
I do think he is still very immature in a lot of ways and marriage right now would not be good for him.
I disagree with your analysis about his army life vs the amount of trouble he was in.
After Eton, he took what was essentially 2 gap years. During this time, he travelled, but he also partied. This is the time frame during which he was falling out of nightclubs and such.
Plus, as every newspaper editor has now admitted, they re-used photos from one incident several times over several weeks such that it looked like he was partying every week, if not every night.
Once he signed up to Sandhurst, he calmed down. A lot. There *were* occasional nights out, but not as frequently as they were portrayed.
The Vegas stint was something we hadn’t seen him do since his pre-army days, and it is something many military people do hence his comment ‘more army than prince’. For that moment he dropped his guard and behaved just like his army buddies which disappointed everyone except his army buddies since they don’t apparently have preconceived notions of how princes are supposed to behave whereas the public does.
It says a lot for how the army made him that the Vegas incident sparked a very public show of support from the UK public AND army.
Everywhere he goes, people fall in love with him unlike his brother.
BTW: one really feels a smidge sorry for William on this point because the public’s love of Harry echoes the public’s love for Diana. It’s spontaneous and not orchestrated. It’s the charles vs Diana dynamic 2.0 with William vs Harry in the respective roles. No matter how often we are reminded that William (Charles) is the heir and important things are found for him to do, Harry (Diana) comes along and steals his thunder, even when we disapprove of his actions!!
I disagree that the Vegas episode was a mistake. It’s wrong for a twenty something guy to go to Vegas and party with girls? It was *embarassing* because pics were splashed around on front pages all over the world, but it’s not like he was caught with his pants down beside a dead hooker or a live boy. I believe that the army gave him a routine, a purpose and that’s what he’s talking about.
Vegas was a mistake because he and his team were stupid enough not to take cell phones away and allow him to be photographed. Taking phones away and having people sign non-disclosure agreements in order to protect his privacy should have been 101 from the start, not something they only implemented after the Vegas incident.
But that was Harry’s security’s mistake, not his, though. I bet they learnt something from that!
Everyone should play an active role in their own personal safety regardless of whether they have protection officers or not. I would call Harry an idiot if he walked out into oncoming traffic even though his protection officers should theoretically pull him out of the way. If Harry was too stupid or naive to think about his own personal safety, then he deserves some of the blame for what happens. If any other celeb were to get photographed naked they would be blamed for letting it happen, regardless of whether they had bodyguards or not.
Also, the conversation around Kate’s naked photos was/is still mostly “Kate is an idiot for getting naked outside; she should have known better”. There were/are some remarks about security detail and “What if it had been a sniper”, but mostly the blame for Kate’s naked photos get put on Kate for getting naked outside, rather than on her security detail for allowing a pap to be near the property (even though the pap was over a mile away and using a long lens). If Kate is responsible for her own personal safety, then so is Harry.
But again, *everyone* should play an active role in their own personal safety. That goes for Harry, Kate, every other royal, other celebs, normal people. Everyone.
I do agree with your bit about William vs Harry. Harry does echo Diana in many ways and William does echo Charles much more as he’s gotten older. There was a comment made several posts back about different personalities being more comfortable in these types of public roles than others and William/Harry certainly highlight that point. I do feel for William because when the cameras are on he looks stilted and uneasy while Harry does not. I’ve heard many times that both William and Harry have Diana’s empathy for others but William does seem to have problems showing that when cameras and the press are around. I was really hoping that Kate would be able to help William out in this area and am rather surprised that since the wedding he actually gotten worse.
I was thinking of the “Paki” comment when I wrote “he personally made a lot of mistakes in those ten years he was in the army and actually blamed the army for several of them.” And Vegas was acting like a normal army guy but it still got him into “trouble”. So when he said the army “does keep you out of trouble”, I thought of those incidents and thought “Uh, you still got into trouble while in the army”. If he meant he would have been in even more trouble, and worse trouble, if he had not been in the army, then I can understand that.
I don’t disagree about Harry’s charm. He is very charming. But I sometimes get a sense of the grumps from him.
I completely agree with you KMR. I attended an event that Harry was at and although he was pleasant enough, I couldn’t help but get a slightly spoiled, grumpy vibe from him. Everyone has their “off” days and it could have been an anomaly but personally, I’m ever so slightly put off from him. I want to be a big fan based on his public persona but a cynical part of me wonders if he’s really as charming as he’s portrayed in the media.
He does seem like a spoiled frat guy to me sometimes (sorry to all the good frat guys.) I don’t know that I would like him in person either. However he does actual work for charities and that is great.
He has said that there are multiple Harrys. I don’t fully remember what he said and I can’t find the article quickly, but it was something there is army Harry, Prince Harry, and regular Harry. From certain interviews and things he’s said. I tend to think that his private persona is much more whiny than his public persona would have us believe. I do think his public persona is very charming, and he knows how to work that, but his private persona seems whiny to me.
Could it be the media vs. our expectations. We love “partying Harry”, the charming “crowd pleasing Harry” and even after “bad boy harry” we shrug it off. Where we wouldn’t if all the same things happened in Will’s life? Could it be that Harry (as much as some of us would love it) will never be King? Will’s just got that pressure oozing out of everything he does, and seems to want to push it away. Harry has nothing, really to push away, everything he does or charities he supports is “extra”. Will does the same and it’s not enough, due to the expectations of his future. As an aside, does anyone think there is any validity to the comments that Will will step down for himself and his line?
Hi, Clleen,
I don’t know. I see William as way too private and petulant than Harry.
Harry has the charisma, that’s for sure. And, people are naturally drawn to that,. Most people, I should say.
William was far more appealing when he was younger. His marriage has done nothing to boost his image much. Kate just is way too lazy and into the privacy thing, too. Of course, they need a private life, but much is expected of William and he certainly takes all the perks of the position, without giving too much back. I know it must be a hard road for him, but if he does not want the role he was born into, then he needs to be honest about that.
Harry is making great strides in making the monarchy relevant to the people of today. Nothing was expected of Andrew either, was it? And, he surely has not given much back. So, even if not much is expected of Harry, he has made it a fact that he cares and wants to give back. He does more than William does as far as I can see. Of course, I am about 3,000 miles away from the UK, so maybe, I am not seeing what you are.
Agree, Herazeus. Harry takes a lot of flak for his partying ways, but one thing that I’ve noticed about him is he seems to be considerate. Love that about him. Although I can also see that he could be a bit whiny baby too. 🙂
Your last paragraph was very insightful, Herazeus, and I agree. The public gravitates towards charismatic people, and William is missing that spark. His public persona is mildly friendly (I’m not talking towards the press here, that’s it’s own story!) and blandly interested. Kate is pretty much the same, but with a dash of glamour, owing to her figure and fashion.
Whether Harry likes it or not, he has that undefinable something that people are drawn to, he will be forgiven much.
Funny how William and Catherine both have the popular, extrovert younger siblings. They’ve been outshone by them most of their life. Guess they’d be used to it by now!
Oh, I think I always will be cutting Harry some slack.
Let’s face it, it cannot be easy to be in the limelight all the time. Anyone born into
such a world — anyone who did not seek such a life him/herself, must occasionally want the attention to stop. Harry is honest by saying it. He’s also a champion when it comes to making friends and influencing people everywhere.
I love how he spoke so well of his father and yes, Prince Charles is often ahead of the curve on important issues.
I love how Harrry connects so well with people of all ages, from all backgrounds.
His love of the military, his love for animals, his sheer enjoyment of Africa and the people there show that he is a man who has so very much going for him. He must often long for a simple life at times, and yet, he uses his Royal Starshine to o the best he can for others and for causes.
He and William have such different personalities. I do think that William has a caring and compassionate side, but has trouble showing it in public. Kate may be able to help him in that area in time to come. Right now, I don’t see that in her, though. She needs to mature, too. And, have her mother butt out!
Honest question: Why is Harry honest by saying he doesn’t like the attention, but William is whiny and petulant for saying the same thing?
Kate cannot help William show his caring or compassionate side in public because she herself is so damn scared of showing herself in public. She never does anything that reveals her true personality (except maybe that eye roll), and is always donning her fake personality when in public. She would need to get over her fears of being in public herself before she could help William get over his fears.
In fact, it really should be the other way around since William is the blood royal. He should be helping Kate get over her fears.
I think the difference between the two is that Harry still gets out there with a show of enthusiasm and does the work. William hides away and whenever you see him out he’s clenching his jaw and fists and looking like it’s absolutely the last place on earth he wants to be.
I frickin LOVED the side eye in New York. Showed some spunk, and it was refreshing to see that one little crack of “real” (?) Kate break through.
Honest question: Why is Harry honest by saying he doesn’t like the attention, but William is whiny and petulant for saying the same thing?
TWO reasons
1. I think because Harry doesn’t lie to us/the press/the public – there’s a difference between not revealing things (omission) and lying.
No doubt Harry has had more girls and partying than we know about, he also has done charity and acts of good will that we don’t know about. He actually sits in on some of The Prince’s Trust and for example with the garden we recently saw has been working for months with the designers. He hangs out with injured vets and only months later we hear about it. So sure we don’t always know what he’s up to but he doesn’t lie to us about the work or partying he does or doesn’t, he just sometimes talks about it and other times not.
William and Kate on the other hands — how many stories got spend to excuse Maldives. Or them preparing for the upcoming tour but turns out they were in France. Or no nannies cause we’re so normal (normal people have nannies too – news flash, so they actually could have had one but were trying to sell this middle class / working class just like you BS) then it turns out they DID in fact have a maternity nurse and then a nanny and for more months than they said they had her for (Webb – William old nanny).
It’s telling that we don’t know whether to believe they knew or didn’t know what the sex of their babies were and that they had to reassure the masses in the last statement before Charlotte was born that they don’t know.
2. Cries fro privacy aren’t the only thing we hear from Harry
He has done numerous documentaries in support of and bringing awareness to his charities and letting us get to know him
– The South Pole Trek
– Sentebale one when he was 18/19
– Afghanistan
– Invictus
He also does a whole bunch of interviews
– for his causes
– on royal tours
– royal family documentaries
– London special events
– army
William did one doco in Uni, one around the time George was born and one interview with Kate and a handful on events.
Everyone has the right to self disclose as they see fit, and no doubt Harry has learnt to work with the media but you see him interact with them and not only using publicity for his causes (i.e. him talking to one of the journalists on the NZ tour asking if she’s never had oysters before having noticed her reaction earlier)
He’s honest and sometimes to his detriment but he didn’t BS us or create some facade/fairytale his or the RF would benefit from (i.e. him letting us know that he didn’t really know kate just before the wedding, despite the “she’s the sister he never had” BS we were being fed)
Sorry, that was a bit of a rant. Long story short
1. Harry has a more honest trek record in his dealings with the press than William and Kate. W&K lie continually, so you tend to believe Harry’s cry for privacy is him being honest about that need and not him trying to conceal a secret life that conflicts with his public persona. He parties, we know that, he’s interested in others, he know that – he’s not trying to hide either. W&K on the other hand…
2. We hear more things from Harry than he’s need for some sort of privacy in his life, unlike William – that’s the only thing William to care about if his actions and speech are anything to go by. William enjoying the perks his royal life affords him and then bitvhing about having to show us his kid more than 3 times since he was born, and whisking away his latest in a Range Rover with TINTED windows followed royal gaurds afforded him by the public he can’t be bothered to speak to is bloody whiny to me.
Oh wait – he does speak to them, to demand privacy via lawyers or he’s cries and rhetoric on being normal every engagement he bothers to show up to.
You said so much in such an eloquent way.
Yes, Harry knows how to garner positive press and warm affection from people all over. He is so much like his mother in that way. I wish him a happy, long, loving life. He so deserves it.
I do agree with you, KMR. He does sounds a lit bit whiny and who knows? Maybe he does expect women to be on his “beck and call”, after all, the BRF is not exactly pro-feminism, right?
Love your blog!
Thanks MYR!!
I see absolutely nothing wrong with turning the blog into The Harry Show. 🙂
I agree bluhare! He’s made a fan of me!
Me too!
Yes. More Harry all the time!
Maybe what Harry meant regarding the Army was that he was aimless and starting to drink alcohol too much / use drugs beforehand, and the Army helped him set goals and kept him from drug use etc. It’s one thing to party in Vegas, it’s quite another to screw up your life because you couldn’t find a purpose or become disciplined enough to follow up on your responsibilities. I think in this way the army probably did keep him out of trouble, not “trouble” as in the press reported incidents and missteps, but true trouble as in messing up your life.
That’s a good take on his comments, Jennifer. I hope that’s what he meant.