With the birth of Prince George, Britain got a future king. His entrance into the world was celebrated not only in his homeland, but all over the world.
The now Prince and Princess of Wales became parents for the first time, and Prince Harry became an uncle.
However, it looks like Harry’s excitement and the way he envisioned the future with George in his life were short-lived.
According to the Duke of Sussex, things between him and William and Kate changed following George’s birth.
Harry, the proud uncle, never missed a chance to share with the world how happy he was with his new role. However, according to his all-tell memoir Spare, things didn’t turn out as he expected.
“I was an uncle. Willy and Kate had welcomed their first child, George, and he was beautiful. I couldn’t wait to teach him about rugby and Rorke’s Drift, flying and corridor cricket – and maybe give him a few pointers about how to survive life in the fishbowl,” Harry wrote.
Back in the day, when George was born, Harry was asked how he felt about becoming an uncle, to what he replied, “When I saw him [Prince George] he was crying as all babies do, but it’s fantastic to have a new member of the family. I hope my brother knows how expensive my babysitting charges will be.”
Further, when asked what his ‘duties’ will likely involve, Harry explained, “To make sure he has a good upbringing, to keep him out of harm’s way and make sure he has fun. The rest of it I leave up to the parents.”
Two years later, when Princess Charlotte was born, Harry was overjoyed, but sadly, he wasn’t home at the time which didn’t mean he didn’t share the joy with his family. “I went to Australia for a round of military exercises, and while there, I got word: Willy and Kate had welcomed their second child. Charlotte. I was an uncle again and very happy about it,” he wrote in Spare.
When Kate and William moved into Kengsington Palace as they needed more space following George’s birth, Harry moved into Nottingham Cottage, which is within walking distance from William’s home.
Being that close to one another, Harry was convinced he would be spending plenty of quality time with his nephew. But it didn’t turn out to be the case.
Harry wrote it was “nice to get out of the old place, but even better to live in front of Willy and Kate,” and he “could see myself dropping in to see them all the time.” He even imagined “throwing himself on the floor” to wrestle with George. But the reality was different.
“I took it for granted that I would be invited to their house at any moment. But the days went by, and it didn’t happen,” he explained. “I understand, I thought. They’re busy! Building a family! Or maybe… three’s a crowd. Maybe if I get married things will change.”
Being 10 years old, George is aware of everything that is going on in the family. He knows his uncle lives away and is aware of the feud between him and his father and there is no way of protecting him from knowing all this.
“They’ve lost Uncle Harry and so forth, and he realizes he’s got to step up to it – 10-year-olds can often be quite mature. A lot has happened in the last 18 months for the Royal Family, and they can’t possibly protect him from all of it, there’s been huge events, the Queen has died, and that has pushed William and Kate up a gear, up a rank and by definition George as well,” royal expert Tessa Dunlop told OK! Magazine.
“And he’ll be aware of that, and I get the impression that he’s almost accepted to an extent that ‘these aspects come with my role being part of this unique family’, and ‘I’m going to do that for mum and dad and for Grandpa.’”
She added: “We saw him embrace his role at the King’s Coronation and I expect one of the ways to help him was to have some of his friends alongside him, perhaps that was part of helping George normalise his experience.”
Another royal expert, Angela Levin, believes that William and Kate should prevent their oldest son from going down the same path as Harry and therefore, they should keep his uncle out of George’s life.
“Kate and William are there to help him [George],” Levin told UK Magazine, quoted by the NY Post.
“But he needs to be kept away from Harry’s negative influence, she added. “George doesn’t have a dysfunctional family, unlike William and Harry growing up, so he should fare better. Kate and William are there to help him.”
It’s not known when the last meeting between Harry and his nephew took place. They did get a glimpse of each other during King Charles’ coronation, where George served as a Page of Honor, but many believe that was it as Harry missed the ceremony at Westminster Abby and flew to the States for his son’s birthday celebration.
Angela Epstein, a royal expert, believes that Harry might have “overlooked the damage he could do” to George, as the young prince might be paying the prize.
“So given the way tragedy arced his young life, surely Harry’s concern for his own nephew, George, would be a matter of auto-fill. As the doting and fun-loving uncle, Harry has always displayed affection for his brother’s three young children,” Epstein told the Express.
“So the possibility that George, as second in line to the throne, could be harmed in any way by the Duke’s rage against the monarchy should surely be a concern to him.”
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