OPINION: Prince Harry’s attempt to endear himself to the British public has already fallen flat – he should have seen it coming a mile off.
The Duke of Sussex is reportedly styling himself as a ‘stay at home dad’ (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry’s “new job” is doubtless an attempt to endear him to a hostile public – but it raises more questions than it answers. The Duke of Sussex will take on the role of “stay at home dad” as his family settle back into Britain after six years in the US, according to reports.
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Harry, who stepped down as a working royal alongside Meghan Markle in 2020, has taken on several positions in non-profits and start-ups in the intervening years. But, if a recent podcast appearance is any indication, he would prefer to be known as a “full time” father to children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, telling Joe Marler Will See You Now that fatherhood comes first while his wife works at building her struggling lifestyle brand.
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The message, alongside the choice of platform, seemed engineered for relatability, showing a caring, domestic side to the King’s youngest son. It’s a sentiment that he will likely continue promoting as he resumes life in Britain, and one he has already hinted at in his overtures about “showing his children where he grew up”.
Harry and Meghan moved back to the UK with their children last week (Image: Getty)
Of course, Harry probably is a loving father and his desire to bring Archie and Lili up on this side of the pond may be genuinely rooted in his homesickness and regret over their largely US-based childhood.
But the backlash to the idea of him as a virtuous house husband is rooted in a mismatch between the image and the reality of his circumstances.
Reports have long suggested the Sussexes employ nannies and other household staff, hardly unusual for a couple whose joint net worth is estimated at £45million – but a fact that sits awkwardly alongside the language of a hands-on, “full time” parent shouldering the daily grind alone.
Like Harry and Meghan’s ill-advised depiction of themselves as faultless victims of the Palace, press and public, this vision of the duke as the everyday dad overestimates the public’s willingness to take such a framing at face value.
The credibility gap only widens against the backdrop of Harry’s estrangement from his own father and brother – the result of very public criticisms he levelled at members of his family and the insitution after moving to America.
It’s hard to buy into a picture of quiet domesticity while that rift remains visibly unresolved.
Instead of pressing ahead with a tired narrative, Harry might do better to take a leaf out of some of his royal relatives’ books, picking a handful of causes he genuinely cares about and working on them quietly, without turning every move into a PR opportunity.
Shedding the reputation of grifters and attention seekers will be Harry and Meghan’s best bet for making peace with the Firm and the wider public. But as long as they keep making themselves the story, they may find that very difficult to do.