Prince Harry Says He Doesn't "Want to Be a Single Dad" Like Charles Was
Heartbreaking.
Trigger warning: This article discusses suicide.
During a new interview with ITV's Tom Bradby, Prince Harry explained that he brought his family to America because he didn't want to be a "single dad" like his own father King Charles was after the death of Princess Diana.
Harry's wife Meghan Markle previously admitted to feeling suicidal during her time as a senior royal, and leaving the U.K. ended up being the only solution the Duke and Duchess of Sussex found to protect their mental health and the safety of their son Archie. (Their daughter Lilibet was born while they were already living in California.)
"I never want to be in that position, part of the reason why we are here now," Harry told Bradby (via CNN).
"I never, ever want to be in that position. I don’t want history to repeat itself. I do not want to be a single dad. And I certainly don’t want my children to have a life without a mother or a father."
Harry lost his mother Diana when he was just 12 years old.
Elsewhere in the interview, he said about Charles, "Single parenthood, [he] was never made for that."
Still, the Duke of Sussex expressed a significant amount of empathy towards his father, who he believes did his best in parenting his brother William and himself, though he often didn't get it right.
The duke also said that he's tried everything to reconcile with his father and brother, but that they haven't shown the same willingness. Regardless, he still believes that bridges could be built between them, and he would love to have his family back, as he put it.
Prince Harry has given four TV interviews to help promote his memoir, Spare, which comes out on Jan. 10, and is expected to contain many shocking revelations.
