London — Wearing his army fatigues while
on tour in Afghanistan in 2013 thousands of miles from home,
Britain's Prince Harry cut a relaxed figure as he told
journalists: "I am one of the guys, I don't get treated any
differently."
Now with the birth of his first child expected next month,
Queen Elizabeth's grandson and his wife Meghan will have to
decide how "normal" a life they want the future seventh-in-line
to the British crown to have.
"I don't think there's been a member of the royal family
that hasn't said they want their children to have a normal
upbringing," Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty Magazine told
Reuters.
"Even the queen said she wanted her children to have as
normal an upbringing as possible. But with the media attention
it's actually not possible to have a totally normal upbringing."
Harry is all too familiar with the attention that comes with
being a British royal.
The disintegration of the marriage of his parents -
heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his late first wife Diana
- was played out in the public glare and his mother was killed
in a Paris car crash in 1997 as the limousine carrying her and
her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed as it fled chasing paparazzi.
In the last two years, Harry has spoken openly of his mental
anguish at the loss of his mother when he was just 12 and how in
the years that followed he struggled with his royal status.
"I didn't want to be in the position I was in, but I
eventually pulled my head out of the sand, started listening to
people and decided to use my role for good," he said in a 2017
interview with Newsweek.
"Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king
or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at
the right time."
Diana had been keen that her two sons should be brought up
away from the stuffy confines of royal palaces and their
traditions. She took them on trips to the cinema, to McDonald's,
and to a theme park.
"Thank goodness I’m not completely cut off from reality. I
am determined to have a relatively normal life, and if I am
lucky enough to have children, they can have one too," said
Harry.
But how realistic is Harry's wish? Polls suggest he is one
of the most popular British royals, vying with the 92-year-old
queen and his elder brother William for top spot, and his
marriage to a glamorous Hollywood actress has only increased the
media and public fascination.
"I can't see this child being raised in any other way than
pretty traditionally and with a great dollop of privilege," said
Robert Jobson, author of "Prince Charles at 70: Our Future
King".
Meghan, whose rift with members of her own family has
provided great fodder for tabloids, giving her a clear insight
into the baggage that being a royal brings, has not made any
public statement about the possible upbringing for the baby.
But, speeches made by Harry since the pregnancy was
announced have hinted how they do not want their child not be
valued on their royal background.
"You don't judge someone based on how they look, where
they're from, or how they identify," Harry told 12,000 students
at London's Wembley Arena in March.
As well as his own upbringing, Harry and Meghan can look to
the experiences of other royals. William has fiercely sought to
defend the privacy of his children, George, Charlotte and Louis
and so far the media have generally abided by requests to leave
them alone.
"In reality, they can do normal within the royal confines,"
said Claudia Joseph, author of "How to Dress Like A Princess".
"We've seen that William and Kate have brought up George,
Charlotte and Louis out of the public eye and both William and
Harry were left alone to a certain extent until they left
university."
Royal author Jobson said whatever Harry and Meghan's aims, it
will be almost impossible for their child to completely escape
his or her background.
"I believe this child probably won't have to serve as a
member of the royal family but will certainly be a celebrity for
a very, very long time."