If Prince Harry was to sing Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ on karaoke, he would probably croon: “Regrets? I’ve had a few – but then again, I’ll never admit them…” Since Megxit, Harry and Meghan have been tone deaf to their own failings. Why admit to blunders when you can blame the media, politicians – or in Harry’s autobiography Spare – your own brother?
When Harry was snapped in an ill-judged Nazi uniform on Halloween in 2005 he profoundly apologised – but later ‘Spare’ threw Prince William and Catherine under the bus. He said he asked them at the time whether to go as a Nazi or a pilot: “Nazi uniform, they said”. Later adding when he tried it on in front of them “they both howled”.
“Cheers Harry,” William must have thought reading that in January 2023. Why admit to a mistake when you can deflect partial blame onto the future king?
So it’s interesting that last week, at the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship in Aspen, Colorado, Harry was introduced as ‘Harry Wales’. Whether he asked for such an introduction, who knows?
If not, it was an odd mistake as he’s been widely known as the Duke of Sussex or Prince Harry for years.
During their upbringing, both William and Harry adopted ‘Wales’ because their father was the Prince of Wales at the time. With King Charles now on the throne, the naming convention has shifted to the next generation.
William’s three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — are expected to use Wales as their surname going forward.
Harry’s use of the name during his youth makes the Aspen announcement a curious throwback, though whether this was a deliberate choice or a simple oversight by organisers has not been clarified.
In her cringeworthy Netflix show ‘With Love, Meghan’ – which shows the Duchess of Sussex making jam in a forensically barren kitchen in California with a selection of ‘who-the-hell-are-they?’ no-name US celebs – Meghan did the opposite to Harry and embraced her Megxit royal title.
In the episode called ‘Welcome to the Party’ US comedian and “fellow toddler mom” Mindy Kaling put her foot in it when she told Meghan: “I don’t think anyone in the world knows that Meghan Markle has eaten Jack In the Box.”
Meghan’s prickly reply: “It’s so funny, you keep saying Meghan Markle – you know I’m Sussex now?”
So are they Sussex or Wales? I wish they’d make their mind up!
It’s not known if Harry later corrected the announcer that he is no longer Harry Wales. But if not, is it a sub-conscious show of regret for a life once rich and now a little shallower?
It is the slow dawning in his mind that their 2020 decision may have showered them with wealth from books and TV shows, but left him as empty as Meghan’s kitchen?
Maybe the new year of 2026 – and the outcome of a Home Office review into the Sussexes’ access to police protection officers if they travel to the UK – could also see a thawing of the frosty relationship between William and Harry, and the Sussexes spend more time in Blighty?
Some will be thrilled – some less so. Either way it could be a fascinating 12 months.
