Although the Duchess of Sussex has expressed her happiness at returning to her native California, Prince Harry would have preferred to live abroad.
He wanted the couple to settle down in Africa, where he has experienced some of the happiest times of his life, according to his friend, the renowned primatologist Dame Jane Goodall.
She says of their three-year-old son, “He wanted to bring Archie up in Africa, running barefoot with African children.” He and Meghan also have a 17-month-old daughter named Lilibet. Read more on The Mail+ here.
It wasn’t just a wishful thought. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could have relocated abroad following the birth of their first child if courtiers had given them a significant international job, according to information published in 2019 by The Sunday Times.
According to reports, Prince Harry’s advisors are developing a “bespoke” job for the couple that will likely be in Africa and will involve charity work, representing the Commonwealth, and promoting Britain.
Sir David Manning, a former British ambassador to the United States and Harry and Prince William’s personal constitutional and international affairs adviser, had created the strategy.
The plan, of course, was never carried out, and the couple relocated to North America before giving up their regal responsibilities.
The Sussexes might have had a harder time securing lucrative contracts with American businesses like Netflix, Spotify, and BetterUp if they had relocated to Africa.
Harry has a strong affection for the region and has been there frequently. With Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, he founded Sentebale, a charity that aids African orphans, and his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy is a Zimbabwean.
In her Archetypes podcast interview with Nigerian-American comedian Ziwe Fumudoh last month, Meghan revealed that she also has a strong connection to Africa and revealed that her ancestry is 43% Nigerian.
Her father, Thomas Markle, is Dutch-Irish, and the former actress’s mother, Doria Ragland, is African-American.
The Duke of Sussex previously spoke with Dame Jane for the 2019 issue of British Vogue that his wife edited. She spoke kindly of meeting and holding Archie in it.
She states, “I don’t talk about them now” in reference to the Montecito-based couple in her most recent remarks. Of course, I have my opinions, and I genuinely believe that Harry cares. I simply had the impression that he was a really nice, good person during our conversations.
The naturalist, who is regarded as the foremost authority on chimpanzees in the world, might be hesitant to discuss her royal friends in light of the controversy the Vogue chat caused.
In it, Harry made a remark about how many kids he wanted, which was taken as a jab at William and Catherine, who have three.
I’ve always felt a connection to and a love for nature, Harry said when discussing preserving the planet for future generations. Without a doubt, I now perceive it differently. But even before having a child and hoping to have children, I’ve always wanted to try to make sure of that.
Not too many, Dame Jane inquired. He retorted, “Two, at most.”
Dame Jane reveals that she has royal admirers other than Harry in her most recent interview with The Times. I had a few conversations with the late Duke of Edinburgh, she claims. He was enjoyable.
King Charles, too? I’ve never been able to accept his invitations to visit his farm in Highgrove, Gloucestershire. Who knows now that he’s King?
Tomorrow on Mail+, you can read the entire edition of Richard Eden’s dazzling social diary, Eden Confidential.
