Prince Emmanuel Filiberto of Savoy believes that Prince Harry is suffering following his Royal exit. The Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III and his wife Meghan Markle, married in 2018 at Windsor Castle.
Despite a fairy tale wedding that hinted at a happily ever after, the couple stepped down as working Royals in 2020. At the time, they cited the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of British tabloids.
Harry’s fury at the media has been building for years. He blames an overly aggressive press for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. The Princess of Wales passed away in 1997 from injuries she sustained in a Paris car crash while being chased by paparazzi.
Harry, who is now 36 years old, has also accused the media of hounding Markle, who is 41 years old and a former American actress.
“I don’t like to criticize,” Filiberto told Fox News Digital, “and you know, they made their choice. Harry is a very intelligent young man. He suffered a lot from the media attention when he was young, and then when his mother died. Perhaps at a certain point, he wanted to live another life, and he left with his wife to America. I felt a bit sad when I saw him at the coronation of King Charles, arriving alone because he’s still the son of the King of England,” the 50-year-old shared. “But I think private matters should stay private in families.”
The couple has aired their grievances since moving to California in 2021. They sat for a two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey, viewed by nearly 50 million people globally that year. Harry also spoke of his struggles being in the public eye for the Apple TV+ docuseries “The Me You Can’t See,” which showed him in a therapy session.
In late 2022, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex launched a six-part Netflix docuseries that detailed their experiences leading to their decision to step back as senior Royals. And in January of this year, Harry’s explosive memoir, “Spare,” was published, exposing deeply personal details about Harry and the royal family, often in eyebrow-raising detail.
Recently, Harry was at London’s High Court, suing the publisher of the Daily Mirror for allegedly using unlawful techniques on an industrial scale to score front-page scoops on his life. This case against the Mirror Group is the first of several lawsuits that the prince has filed against the media to go to trial. It is believed that Harry stayed at Frogmore Cottage, the couple’s former UK home, in March. A spokesperson for the couple confirmed that they were asked to vacate the residence.
Previously, Harry attended his father’s coronation on May 6. However, he traveled to the airport just hours after the ceremony and immediately headed back to the States. The transatlantic trip covers more than 5,400 miles, roughly an 11-hour non-stop flight. Several days after, a representative for the couple said they had been pursued by photographers in a near-catastrophic car chase through the streets of New York City.
The Duke and Duchess, along with Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, were in Manhattan for the Miss Foundation Awards. Photographers who were involved confirmed they followed the couple for miles over an extended period but described it as a low-speed affair. A photo agency later contended that it was the couple’s security guards who acted recklessly.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams condemned the paparazzi chasing them as reckless and irresponsible. Police stated that the pursuit was relatively short and led to no injuries, collisions, or arrests, warranting no further investigation. The cab driver who drove them from the police station said he instantly recognized his passengers and that paparazzi were following them the whole time, though he said he wouldn’t call it a chase.
Filiberto said that while Harry may have desired to break away from the constraints of Royal life, it must weigh heavily on him to be isolated from the only upbringing he’s ever known. “I’m sure he’s suffering a lot about what is happening,” said Filiberto. “You grew up to be like this, but you know, it’s their choice, and God blessed them, and I hope they will have a wonderful life.”
