As anticipation for the royal wedding hits a fever pitch, biographers are taking advantage of the growing excitement by releasing new books in the weeks leading up to the big day.
One of those books, titled âHarry: A Biography of a Prince,â by Angela Levin details the popular red-haired princeâs journey from a reckless troublemaker to a beloved philanthropist. The veteran journalist had exclusive access to Prince Harry and was able to sit down with him for a one-on-one interview for the biography.
Levin told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel that she was surprised by the royalâs openness during their chat.
âSuddenly in the middle of a conversation he stopped, and I hadnât asked anything about his late mother, and he said how terrible he thought it had been that he had to walk behind his motherâs coffin,â she recalled. âThat nobody would do that to children now and he thought it was completely wrong.â
The prince shared with Levin how he struggled to come to terms with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales when he was only 12 years old.
âHe told me he would bury his head in the sand. He said he refused to let himself think about it,â Levin said. âIt must have been in the forefront of his mind, waiting to come out for 20 years.â
In addition to his thoughts on his late mother, Prince Harry talked to Levin about the pressures of being a member of the Royal Family.
âHe also said things like, âNobody really wants to be king or queenâ and that was a reference to the fact that they want a private life. He and [Prince] William want to have privacy. They want to do their duty but they also want privacy,â she said.
Levinâs biography details the princeâs partying past and how he eventually matured into the man he is today.
âHeâs got the qualities that you canât actually learn like being empathetic with people, charismatic, all those sorts of things,â she said. âHeâs the most extraordinary young man and I think that really surprised me how extraordinary he is.â
A royal romance
Along with writings about Prince Harry himself, the princeâs relationship with American actor Meghan Markle has also taken centre stage in the weeks before their wedding. The biography âHarry: Life, Loss, And Loveâ delves into the whirlwind romance between the pair.
After interviewing nearly 100 people with knowledge of the Royal Family and Prince Harry, author Kate Nicholl wrote about the princeâs past as well as his present life with Markle in her new book. She told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel that Markle is a real departure for Prince Harry when compared to his former girlfriends Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas.
âWhat she does bring to the table is a wealth of experience. She is older. Some may say she is wiser. Without a doubt sheâs a deft hand with dealing the media. Sheâs incredibly confident and poised in front of the cameras,â Nicholl explained on Wednesday. âI think the fact that sheâs been able to handle herself so well, that she wasnât immediately put off by the spotlight as the other girlfriends had been, was probably a real draw for Prince Harry.â
Although she will be able to enjoy the perks and privileges of royalty, Markle will have to sacrifice a lot in her new role, Nicholl said.
âSheâs giving up her nationality, her acting career, sheâs giving up a huge amount and that leap into what is often referred to as the gold fish bowl of royalty is a seismic leap. Itâs a huge transition,â she said. âShe is saying goodbye to an old life.â
As for the wedding itself, Nicholl said this wedding will be different from the Duke of Duchess of Cambridgeâs elaborate affair. Heads of state and foreign royals will be swapped for close friends and family instead.
âThis is a big royal wedding with all of the pomp and pageantry that we would expect of it, but actually, itâs very much a family wedding,â she said.