Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, may have spent the weekend amid Hollywood glamour with Meghan Markle, but his thoughts were thousands of miles away. On Nov. 5, the Duke of Sussex penned a surprise essay titled ‘The Bond, the Banter, the Bravery: What It Means to Be British,’ released ahead of Remembrance Day—the Nov. 11 observance honoring members of the armed forces who lost their lives in service.
‘Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for,’ the Duke of Sussex wrote, as quoted by People magazine. ‘The banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands, ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British. I make no apology for it. I love it.’
Royal experts told Fox News Digital there’s little doubt the father of two feels homesick as he continues to navigate life in California.
‘Harry’s essay on Remembrance Day showed him at his best and also highlighted his status as an exile,’ royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital.
‘Exiles feel deep regret,’ he said. ‘He knows the military was the making of him after the trauma he suffered following the death of his mother, which still haunts him. He has given back with the Invicts Games, a remarkable achievement.’
‘His words clearly came from the heart and were all the more moving for that. His respect and affection for Queen Elizabeth II, whom he called ‘my Commander-in-Chief,’ is undoubted.’
Archewell told Fox News Digital they had no comment.
Harry kept calm and carried on during the weekend. On Nov. 8, the 41-year-old and his wife attended the Baby2Baby Gala in West Hollywood. The annual fundraiser supports mothers and children living in poverty.
Later that evening, the couple attended a party in Beverly Hills honoring Kris Jenner, who turned 70 on Nov. 5. People magazine reported the James Bond-themed celebration was hosted at Jeff Bezos’ mansion.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing the unbearable intrusions of the British press and a lack of support from the palace.
After moving to California, they aired their grievances with the royal family in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, followed by a revealing Netflix series in 2022. In 2023, Harry’s memoir, ‘Spare,’ was published. It laid bare his struggles with royal life while sharing personal conversations with family members.
‘Prince Harry is a shadow of his previous gregarious self,’ British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.
‘Prince Harry was always caught laughing and full of energy. This was certainly the case on his arrival in the U.S. at this point,’ she said.
Last year, the Duke of Sussex told ‘Good Morning America’ that he had ‘considered’ becoming a U.S. citizen, but it wasn’t a ‘high priority.’
People magazine pointed out that Harry is a veteran, having served for a decade in the British army from 2005 to 2015.
Back in 2024, Roya Nikkhah, royals editor for The Sunday Times and co-host of the podcast ‘The Royals with Roya and Kate,’ claimed to Fox News Digital that the Duke of Sussex has been doing ‘a fair amount of looking back.’
‘He loves his family life out in the States,’ Nikkhah said at the time. ‘He’s thrilled to be a dad. I suppose for him, it’s just finding a role—a really meaningful role going forward. The Invictus Games are fantastic, and he does great work there, and that will continue. But I think for him going forward, it’s finding a meaningful role for himself living out in the States on the global stage.’
‘Being a humanitarian is what he says he wants to be,’ Nikkhah continued. ‘I think that’s what he will probably look to focus on for the next few years—how he builds that profile as a humanitarian.’
Those close to Harry told Nikkhah that he seems torn ‘between battling old demons and getting on with his life.’
‘All he does is spend time looking back,’ one former adviser to Harry told Nikkhah. ‘If only he could wrench his neck around and look forward.’