Prince Harry on U.S. Life With Meghan, Kids: What My Mom Wanted for Me

Prince Harry is reflecting on how his mom, Princess Diana, would have reacted to his and wife Meghan Markle’s move to the United States.

“I enjoy living [in the U.S.] and bringing my kids up here, it’s a part of my life that I never thought I was going to live and it feels as though it’s the life that my mom wanted for me,” the Duke of Sussex, 40, told Andrew Sorokin at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York City on Wednesday, December 4.

Harry and Meghan, 43, relocated to America after announcing in January 2020 that they planned to step down from their roles as senior working royals. The pair initially resided in Tyler Perry’s home before moving into their Montecito home. Harry and Meghan, who tied the knot in 2018, currently reside in California with their kids, son Archie, 5, and daughter Lilibet, 3.

While getting candid about his life on the other side of the pond, Harry discussed how he and Meghan were left without the same level of security they had in the U.K. (After stepping down from their roles, Harry and Meghan lost state-funded police protection during U.K. visits. He still has a pending case against the government that could restore the security.)

Related: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Protective Over Their ‘Amazing’ 2 Kids

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle love watching their children develop and grow. “Our kids are young. They’re three and five. They’re amazing,” Meghan, 42, gushed during a recent teaser of her and Harry’s Sunday, August 4, CBS Sunday Morning interview. “But all you want to do as parents is protect them.” Meghan and Harry, 39, […]

“I should’ve never had security removed in the first place,” he said on Wednesday. “But the disclosure process has been troubling and enlightening and I just have to now sit and wait until April.”

Now, Harry said his “main goal” is to be “the best dad and best husband” he can be. “The reason why these things have happened is because of my 10 years in the military and the values and principles I live by,” he said. “It is becoming increasingly hard for people that have values and principles as the world starts to change. But the thing I want to be known for is that, ‘He stuck to his values and always stayed true to that principle.’”

As they navigate life in America, Harry and Meghan pair have launched a series of initiatives from their Archewell Foundation. Earlier this year, the twosome spearheaded The Parents Network initiative aimed at supporting families dealing with “online harm.”

“As we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know that there’s a lot of work to be done there, and we’re just happy to be able to be a part of change for good,” Meghan told CBS anchor Jane Pauley in August.

Harry said the program helps parents become “first responders’ in their childrens’ lives. “At this point, we’ve got to the stage where almost every parent needs to be a first responder,” he said. “And even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to tell the signs of possible suicide. That is the terrifying piece of this.”

After accepting an invite from Vice President Francia Márquez to visit Colombia in August, Harry and Meghan promoted The Parents Network.

“We should model how we want our kids to be raised and for the world in which we raise them,” Meghan said during a panel while attending the Summit on a Responsible Digital Future on August 15. “It doesn’t matter where you live. It doesn’t matter who you are. Either you personally or someone you know is a victim to what’s happening online. And that’s something we can actively work on every day to remedy.”

Harry has long been a mental health advocate, previously opening up about his panic attacks and “severe anxiety.”

“A lot of people say they fit in a certain box, I actually don’t,” he said on Wednesday. “Therapy for me was a blessing. I would describe it as cleaning the windshield. What it really did was open my eyes and open my perspective on how to be able to resolve the inner.”

“There’s no point in being depressed, sad or angry at the press,” he said of his court battle with British tabloids Associated Newspapers Limited, News Group Newspaper and Mirror Group Newspapers. “Because it’s not going to change anything. It’s certainly not what my mom wanted.”