The Duke of Sussex is known for being a prankster and keeping the fun alive, but being a dad changed him into a sensitive man.
Prince Harry has always shown the world he has a humorous and fun side. Whenever he's seen interacting with children, he knows how to engage with them in a lovable, childlike manner. However, becoming a dad changed him so much that he felt brave enough to show the world his sensitive side too. Many people believe that men should act "strong and stoic" but the two traits have been wrongly conflated together. Harry, too, once hid behind machismo but has learned to show his honest side to the world.
Princess Diana's second son opened up during a public event about the time he had found out that he was going to be a father and it brought tears to his eyes. While it is unusual for the members of the royal family to be candid about their emotions, the People's Princess changed that when Harry and William were young and impressionable. Emulating her, the Harry broke down in front of his audience.
In October 2019, he was delivering a speech at the WellChild Awards when he spoke about the time when he and his wife, Meghan Markle, were the only ones who knew that they were going to be parents soon, as per Hello! Magazine. Harry is a patron of the charity. The topic he spoke about is one that is close to his heart. Fatherhood has turned out to be a joy for him and he doesn't mind speaking about it whenever he can.
"Last year when my wife and I attended we knew we were expecting our first child - no one else did at the time, but we did…" he trailed off, overcome with emotion.
The Duke of Sussex then cleared his throat, composed himself, and continued, "I remember squeezing Meghan’s hand so tight during the awards, both of us thinking what it would be like to be parents one day, and more so, what it would be like to do everything we could to protect and help our child should they be born with immediate challenges or become unwell over time. And now, as parents, being here and speaking to all of you pulls at my heart strings in a way I could have never understood until I had a child of my own."
Even though he showed his softer side, people criticized him for choking up in public calling him fake. Some even accused him of learning to act from his actress wife, according to IBTimes.com. However, his behavior just shows that he is a devoted and emotional dad who loves his firstborn.
Harry's son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on May 6, 2019, and would have been around six months when he gave the speech. Earlier that night, before the awards ceremony began, Markle revealed to other moms that she took him to a play date. "[I] just took Archie for his first [playgroup] class. It was a lot of fun. He loved it," she said. Both parents have always been all smiles when they've been with their son in public.
Harry also spoke to people associated with WellChild, which gives children with serious illnesses a fighting chance, in the month of April 2020 from his Los Angeles home. During a video call with some members, he spoke about how he's taking the lockdown, and that included appreciating the time he got with this son.
"There’s a hell of a lot of positives that are happening at the same time and being able to have family time — so much family time — that you almost think, 'Do I feel guilty for having so much family time?'' he said, as per PEOPLE.
"You’ve got to celebrate those moments where you are just on the floor rolling around in hysterics. Inevitably, half an hour later, maybe a day later, there’s going to be something that you have to deal with and there’s no way you can run away from it," he added.
The couple moved to the United States after spending a few months in Canada. Since his speech, Harry has also left behind his role as a senior royal member but continues to be a patron of the charity. The various charities he works with are close to his heart and having to cancel the annual Invictus Games, which was founded by him for differently-abled veterans, in 2020 hurt him deeply.
Harry said that the decision to cancel it was "incredibly difficult" but the "most sensible and safest option," according to the SUN UK. Because of the nature of the global health crisis, it is important that public events are stopped and people maintain a safe distance to stop the spread of the infection.
References:
https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2019101579191/prince-harry-breaks-down-in-tears-at-awards-ceremony/
https://www.ibtimes.com/prince-harry-criticized-crying-public-emotional-breakdown-fake-meghacue-2850394
https://people.com/royals/prince-harry-gets-candid-about-family-time-with-archie-during-isolation-in-california/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11217705/prince-harry-invictus-coronavirus-games/
