Prince Harry, 37, is set for a busy 2022 with the publication of his first memoir. He will also celebrate the first birthday of his and Meghan Markle’s second child Lilibet in June, as well as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Since stepping down from their royal roles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have settled into the exclusive Californian neighborhood of Montecito. They are currently working on several projects, including original content for streaming giants Spotify and Netflix.
While some of their main goals included achieving financial independence and leading private lives — which they have done — Neil Wilkie, a relationship expert, claimed that Harry has simply exchanged his royal “bubble” in the UK for another “bubble” in LA.
Speaking about how Harry’s role within the Firm was not as determined as that of his brother, Prince William’s, he told Express.co.uk: “He is always going to be number two without a clear role.
“I think what he has done is he has escaped the bubble of royalty in the UK to go over to LA and he’s just created a different bubble there. “There’s still the media spotlight on him, on Meghan, on their children. “So, he’s just swapping one unreal situation for another one.”
In his analysis of the Sussexes’ relationship and their new life overseas, the expert drew parallels between Harry and the Jim Carrey film, ‘The Truman Show’. Mr. Wilkie said: “It’s a fascinating film because Jim Carrey plays a character who is in a reality TV show living in a town.
“He doesn’t realize he’s in a reality show. It’s hidden from him. He’s being watched 24/7 by the public. “But he thinks he’s living a real-life and everyone around him is an actor. “There comes a scene where he suddenly realizes something is wrong and he takes to a dinghy which he finds and starts paddling it.
“A storm comes up and he reaches the edge of the universe he knows, and the edge of the universe he knows is just a film set.” Mr. Wilkie said the life of Mr. Carey’s character, Truman Burbank, reminded him of the situation Harry has found himself in.
He added: “He suddenly has the realization that he can’t escape this bubble he’s in, and I thought about Harry. “In that, he’s in a position where he’s never going to be King, unless his brother dies very soon, which is exceedingly unlikely.”
He also referenced comments Harry himself had made about being “trapped” in the Royal Family, which came during his and Meghan’s dramatic interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, broadcast on CBS and ITV last year. It was here that Harry was asked by Oprah about his claim his royal duties had left him feeling “trapped”.
In his answer, he said he felt for William and his father Prince Charles, who is “trapped within the system like the rest of my family are”. He added: “My father and my brother, they are trapped.
They don’t get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that.” Neil Wilkie is the author of ‘The Relationship Paradigm’ series of books and creator of the online couples therapy platform, the Relationship Paradigm.
