Prince Harry’s Essay on Britain Sounds Like a Love Letter — With a Hidden Message for Meghan
Prince Harry is back in the headlines with his latest essay, wherein he has stirred some conversation, not only for what he wrote, but what he might be wanting to say between the lines. The Duke of Sussex, who’s built a new life in Montecito, California, penned a personal piece reflecting on his homeland, its humor, and its heart, a love letter of sorts to the country he left behind. And while on the surface it reads as patriotic nostalgia ahead of Remembrance Day in the U.K., some royal experts believe the words carry a more personal undertone, one that maybe directed towards his wife, Meghan Markle.
The 647-word essay, titled The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What It Means to Be British – By Prince Harry, was published just before the Remembrance period, starting it on a very poignant note. He wrote, “Every November the world, for a moment, grows quieter. We pause, together, to remember." For Harry, it might be all the more personal as he is a war veteran who served in Afghanistan for two tours. In the essay, he urges readers to remember “not only the fallen, but the living” who still shoulder "weight of war.” His grounded call encourages people to join veterans "for a cuppa… or a pint,” and listen to their stories.
He also opened up on what he misses the most about his home country. “Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for,” he writes, adding, “The banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British. I make no apology for it. I love it.” Communication expert Judi James told The Mirror that Harry’s words read like “deep nostalgia for the country he left,” adding that he "sounds like so many ex-pats that retain an unrealistic, idealised memory of the country they left."
In his essay, talking about said banter, Harry wrote, "There is a similar stoic spirit of self-deprecation and humour in Ukrainians, that I recognise more than any other, in us Brits." This longing for something that feels like home prompted James to say, “Despite his normally constant adherence to his love of his life in the US, Harry sounds like a man still yearning for what he calls the ‘banter of the mess, clubhouse, pubs, the stands.’” That yearning, she suggests, might also be a subtle message for Markle that he is missing something that he once held dear and haven't found in the U.S. And while some see it as a love letter to Britain, others detect something more complex, a tinge of longing for his old life, his old humor, and maybe even his older brother. James suggests Harry’s emphasis on “banter” could be a nod to Prince William, with whom he once shared an easy, teasing rapport.
“Harry was a man who grew up and cut his teeth on banter, especially with his brother William,” she said, adding, “There is a suggestion that in promoting the word so strongly and emphatically here Harry is implying (perhaps subconsciously) how much he misses his older brother.” The essay is well timed, releasing just before his brother's speech in Brazil; however, there were accusations that he was trying to upstage his brother. Now in Canada to mark the period of Remembrancetide, Harry will meet veterans and military families and, in his way, try and honor the spirit of service he speaks about so passionately.