Prince Harry says he could not ‘kiss’ family ‘no matter how much he loved them’

Prince Harry reveals how maintaining ‘distance’ was an important part of his upbringing ever since he was born.

The Duke of Sussex admits he was always ‘taught’ to keep things and feelings to himself.

Writing in his memoir ‘Spare’, Harry notes: “As a royal, you were always taught maintain a buffer zone between you and the rest of the creation.

“Even working a crowd you always kept a discreet distance between Yourself and Them. Distance was right, distance was safe, distance was survival. Distance was an essential bit of being royal, no less than standing on the balcony, waving to the crowds outside Buckingham Palace, your family all around you. Of course, family included distance as well,” he continues.

Harry adds: “No matter how much you might love someone, you could never cross that chasm between, say, monarch and child. Or Heir and Spare. Physically, but also emotionally. It wasn’t just Willy’s edict about giving him space; the older generation maintained a nearly zero-tolerance prohibition on all physical contact. No hugs, no kisses, no pats. Now and then, maybe a light touching of cheeks…on special occasions.”