Dangerous partying, an undefined role within the royal family,
and a devastating loss. Prince Harry's life before meeting Meghan Markle was very different.
In their official engagement interview with the BBC in November 2017, Prince Harry and
Meghan Markle revealed that they first hit it off after a friend set them up on a blind date.
"We were introduced, actually, by a mutual friend."
In their Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," Harry elaborated on the story,
revealing that he became interested in Markle when he saw her posing with
their mutual friend on Instagram. The rest, as they say, is history.
Before Markle caught his eye, Prince Harry had been in a series of relationships with
notable women. His longest relationship was with businesswoman Chelsy Davy. They reportedly dated
on and off from 2004 to 2011. Prior to his romance with Davy, Harry was rumored to be
dating TV presenter Natalie Pinkham, as reported by The Telegraph. And after his breakup with Davy,
the royal is rumored to have dated Norwegian singer Camilla Romestrand.
"The Saturdays" singer Mollie King also confirmed that she briefly dated Prince Harry in 2012,
per the London Evening Standard. The same year,
the prince reportedly started dating actor Cressida Bonas. They broke things off in 2014,
and Bonas later shared her experience of dating the prince in a BBC podcast.
Harry has also been linked to the late TV presenter Caroline Flack,
singer Ellie Goulding, model Florence St. George, and Princess Beatrice's pal
Astrid Harbord. But it wasn't until the Duke of Sussex met Meghan that he finally settled down.
After leaving their royal life in the U.K. behind, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved into their
stunning Montecito home in Santa Barbara. While it's no palace, the $15 million mansion is most
definitely fit for royalty. In fact, the value of the sprawling property reportedly nearly doubled
within two years of them moving there, per The Sun. The oceanside home comes with nine bedrooms
and 19 bathrooms, a cozy movie hall, a spa, a wine cellar, a game room, and a guesthouse.
However, long before he relocated to the United States, Harry was already accustomed to taking up
residence in sizable mansions. As the second son of King Charles III and Princess Diana,
Harry spent many of his formative years at Kensington Palace. In 2003,
Harry reportedly moved into Clarence House, and it was nearly a decade before he relocated
back to a one-bedroom apartment at Kensington Palace, per CBS News.
Harry would later move into Nottingham Cottage within the grounds of Kensington
Palace. The property boasts two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchenette,
and reception rooms. After Harry married Meghan in 2018, the couple initially lived
at Nottingham Cottage together, before moving to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate.
While many find the extravagant life of the royal family glamorous, Prince Harry
apparently loved nothing more than when he got to live like everybody else in the army. In fact,
during Oprah Winfrey's mental health docuseries "The Me You Can't See," the
prince revealed that he was at his happiest when he served in the army for 10 years.
Despite being part of the military, his father King Charles III would often remind
him of the fact that he was still very much a prince. As Harry once told The Guardian,
During his time serving in the British Armed Forces, Harry was the commander of a sophisticated
attack helicopter and its operational tours. After he left the army, Harry released a
statement saying he would always be grateful for the experiences he had during his service.
Senior members of the royal family aren't allowed to earn private incomes,
but it's safe to say that Prince Harry has never been poor. While in the army,
Harry reportedly earned between $50,000 and $53,000 annually. As a bachelor,
Prince Harry used to receive most of his money from his father. According to Insider,
the royal split roughly $5 million with Prince William and Kate Middleton between 2016 and 2017.
Harry's mother Princess Diana also left behind a fortune of $10 million each for Harry and William,
and they both received the full sum when they turned 30, according to Forbes.
Since Harry and Meghan stepped down from their senior roles within the royal family,
they are free to work on the projects they are passionate about. Importantly, the royal
family no longer provides for them financially, per the BBC. After leaving the palace behind,
the couple has secured multiple lucrative media deals including a reported $25 million deal
with Spotify and a nearly $100 million deal with streaming giant Netflix, per The New York Times.
Sadly, Prince Harry and Prince William seem to have grown apart since Harry's
2018 wedding to Meghan Markle. But in the past,
the brothers were much closer. In the 2019 ITV documentary "Harry and Meghan:
An African Journey," Harry revealed that he didn't see his brother as much as he used to, adding,
"Look, we're brothers. We'll always be brothers."
In the same documentary, Harry said that although they are not on the same path,
their brotherly bond will always be the same. However, in March 2021, Harry and Meghan's
infamous Oprah Winfrey interview dropped. During the interview, Harry revealed that
his relationship with William was still going through a rough patch. Afterwards,
a reporter asked William if he had spoken to his brother, to which he replied that he would.
Unfortunately, the rumored rift between Harry and William was predicted to grow even wider
after the release of the Netflix docuseries "Harry and Meghan." In December 2022, royal
expert Christopher Andersen told Us Weekly that William remained "angry" at his brother, saying,
King Charles walked Meghan Markle down the aisle at her wedding to Prince Harry
in 2018. At the time, royal watchers applauded Charles for stepping in to fill the void left by
the absence of Meghan's biological father during the ceremony. Up until that point,
Charles and Harry's father-son relationship seemed as healthy as it could be.
In the BBC documentary "Prince, Son and Heir:
Charles," Harry spoke fondly of his father, telling producers that he was thrilled
that Charles was able to step in during Meghan's time of need. Harry explained,
Sadly, the father-son bond seemed to dramatically change after Harry and Meghan decided to resign
from their senior royal duties in 2020. During his interview with Oprah Winfrey,
Harry even revealed that his father had stopped taking his phone calls.
It's unclear where Charles and Harry stand now, but they're unlikely to be
on the best terms following the release of the prince's Netflix docuseries.
In 2002, The Guardian reported that Prince Harry had to be taken to Featherstone Lodge,
a rehabilitation center in south London. At the time, the royal, who was then a minor,
had reportedly been experimenting with substances including alcohol and cannabis.
After 19 years of silence, Harry finally opened up about his excessive use of
alcohol and cannabis during the Apple TV+ docuseries "The Me You Can't See."
"I would just start sweating. I was willing to drink. I was willing to take drugs."
The prince explained that he was so disturbed by the circumstances that led to the untimely death
of his mother, he resorted to numbing himself with alcohol. As Harry said,
Royal author Valentine Low later suggested in his
book "Courtiers" that the "wild" side of Harry died when he met his wife.
Following the sudden death of his mother, Prince Harry wasn't sure he would ever have
a family of his own. Ultimately, he was afraid that history would repeat itself.
"After everything that had happened to my mum,
and to now be put in a position of losing another woman in my life."
During an appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, Harry revealed that therapy
made him recognize his privileges and led him to change his mindset. At the time,
he decided that he would make the best of the hand he was dealt,
because he knew that he couldn't just up and leave the palace.
However, Harry's future as a royal was not predestined like Prince William's.
Their lives are vastly different because of where they fall in the
line of succession. Their former advisor Sir David Manning once said, per E! News,
Prince Harry has always been open about the struggles he faced following the
death of his mother, Princess Diana. Harry struggled with panic attacks and
anxiety issues throughout his entire adult life, telling Oprah Winfrey,
"28 to probably 32 was a nightmare time in my life."
After losing his mother as a child, the royal didn't allow himself to feel his emotions.
His brother, Prince William, reportedly tried to convince Harry to seek therapy,
but he didn't take his advice for the longest time. The prince finally decided to seek
professional help following a conversation with his wife. Harry told The Telegraph,