His departure from the royal camp has cost him three of his military titles.
Prince Charles and late Princess Diana's son is a prince no more.
As naive as it may sound, till the very end, many of us were in denial or unable to wrap our heads around the fact that one of the most famous and beloved members of the royal family will not be a royal anymore. For Harry, however, the unbelievable part is something else.
With his decision to leave his royal staus behind came another shock which most likely he wasn't ready for. According to Marie Claire, the former prince has been stripped off of his military titles and he is absolutely "devastated" over this decision.
As per ITV, the titles that Harry had to give up are Captain-General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Force Commandant of the Royal Air Force Base Honington, and Honorary Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Naval Commands’ Small Ships and Diving. Military appointments are considered official royal duties, ITV explains, Harry could not hold the roles without being a working royal.
According to The Sun, Harry said he was "devastated" to lose the position of Captain-General, and felt he had no say in the decision. An insider at the Mountbatten Festival of Music earlier this month told the paper, "He told people he regretted having to stand down and pretty much said the decision had been forced on him."
"He was being apologetic and did not appear fully at ease," the source continued. "He is a genuine guy and you could see he was upset and emotional as this was one of the last times he would be in uniform among his men and women."
Another source said, “There was a sense this was Harry’s swansong and the ovation they got as a greeting was one of those spontaneous things. “Everyone knew Harry and Meghan would bring sparkle to the occasion but it was also tinged by sadness.”
As per Marie Claire, Harry reportedly told senior military figures including the head of the Royal Marines, Major General Matthew Holmes, "I am so proud to have served as the Royal Marines Captain and am devastated that I am having to step down."
"I feel I’m letting people down, but I had no choice," Harry said.
His military experiences and laurels are few things Harry holds close to his heart and was proud of. As per MailOnline, Harry who was known as "Captain Wales" by his comrades, had once proudly told one fellow soldier, "I've got the best of both worlds. I get to do all this. I can fly helicopters. I can shine a spotlight on the work I want to do."
Harry and Meghan officially resigned from their posts of senior members of the royal family on March 31. A day before, they bid a heartfelt goodbye to their 11 million Instagram followers and assured them that their efforts to make the world a better place will not stop. "While you may not see us here, the work continues," they wrote. "Thank you to this community - for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You’ve been great! Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and of one another."
The couple that was settled in Canada with their 10-month-old son, Archie has now moved to L.A. as their career will be focussed around that area. Meghan has already made her comeback into Hollywood as a voiceover artist with Disney's upcoming documentary film Elephant.
We might not be able to understand what Harry must have gone through while giving up his hard-earned laurels but we can wish for them to have a wonderful life ahead and allow the memories to fill them up with happiness and pride.
References:
https://www.itv.com/news/2020-01-18/harry-ends-military-posts-as-part-of-megxit/
https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a31987565/prince-harry-devastated-give-up-military-titles/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11278238/prince-harry-devastated-captain-general-title/
