Prince Harry 'never wanted son Archie to grow like a royal'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had reportedly decided son Archie's future even before quitting royal duties. They did not want him to grow up like royal.

Dr Jane Goodall, an English primatologist, said the Duke of Sussex dropped the hint during a conversation last summer.

According to the 86-year-old anthropologist, Harry told her during the summer of 2019 that he didn’t want his then 2-month-old son Archie growing up under royal standards and protocols, suggesting that he and Markle were already mulling over the idea of distancing themselves from the monarchy

Speaking to a magazine, Dr Goodall said: "At the end [of the conversation] Meghan came in to listen with Archie.

"He was very tiny and very sleepy – not too pleased to be passed from his mummy. I think I was one of the first to cuddle him outside the family.

“I made Archie do the Queen’s wave, saying, ‘I suppose he’ll have to learn this’. Harry said: ‘No, he’s not growing up like that'."

The conversation took place while Harry interviewed Goodall at her Roots & Shoots fundraiser in July 2019. The interview was included in Markle’s September cover issue of British Vogue.

Six months after the Q&A with Goodall, the couple shocked the nation in January when they revealed they wanted to become independent and step back from royal life.