Prince Harry Opens Up on Early Fatherhood Struggle
Prince Harry has spoken about the difficulties he faced in the first weeks of becoming a father, as a former royal editor suggested his estrangement from Prince William may have left him feeling more isolated at the time. The Duke of Sussex, who shares two children with Meghan Markle, described the pressure of the early post-birth period while reflecting on the arrival of Prince Archie in 2019.
Speaking at a Movember event in Melbourne earlier this month, Express.co.uk reported that Prince Harry said “those days, weeks, after birth are a real struggle” and added that when he was stressed, “the moment I held Archie… he would notice it quicker than I could.”
The report said the Duke was still a working royal when Archie was born, but indicated that he and Prince William were believed not to be as close as they had been previously. Former royal editor Mr Duncan Larcombe told New magazine that Harry may have felt “less isolated” if he had maintained the supportive relationship he once had with his older brother, describing William as someone who had been “very, very protective” of Harry.
Larcombe also pointed to William already having young children at the time and sharing the same upbringing, arguing that he could have been well placed to offer advice; the brothers’ relationship has remained strained since the Duke stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and later criticised the Royal Family in interviews and his memoir, with Prince William reportedly keeping his distance from Prince Harry in recent years.
The comments underline how the Duke has increasingly framed fatherhood as central to his identity and wellbeing, while the continuing fracture with the Prince of Wales remains a defining feature of the brothers’ public story.
