Prince Harry was very popular in the United Kingdom when he was still a working royal. The public embraced his wife, Meghan Markle, warmly. However, things turned differently after they stepped back from their royal duties. A royal expert weighed in on the Duke of Sussex's life choices and how he is easily influenced by the people around him.
Prince Harry A 'Lost Soul' Even Before His Mom Princess Diana Died
Duncan Larcombe, the former royal editor of The Sun and author of the book Prince Harry: The Insider Story, has followed the royal family for years. According to him, Prince William's brother is a great guy, but he is easily influenced by his surrounding.
"I think Harry's a very lost soul and has been potentially before his mother died," Larcombe told Fox News Digital. "Harry's a great guy, but has been very vulnerable to influences. Look how influences have affected Prince Harry's life."
He cited several examples of how Prince Harry's companions influenced him, leading him to bad press and a string of controversies, including his Nazi costume and nude photos.
"I'll go through a quick list. When he was in the last year at his high school, he gets in with a crowd of people that are taking drugs and Harry gets caught. When he goes with his friends to a fancy dress party, he wears a Nazi outfit and gets called out," Larcombe explained. "When he goes to celebrate the end of Sandhurst, he gets dragged along to a strip club, he gets found out and then when he goes to Las Vegas, he turns stripper himself and Harry gets found out."
Larcombe noted that "These are all as a result of influences, bad influences, in his life because he is someone who is susceptible to being very influenced and easily led by the people around him. And I don't see how anyone could argue against that."
Prince Harry Took Responsibility For His, Meghan Markle's Decision To Leave Royal Family
Even if many people felt that Prince Harry couldn't make any decision for himself as he could be easily influenced by the people around them, he claimed in his speech before Megxit that it was him who made the decision to leave the royal family.
"The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back, is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges," he said at a Sentebale event in 2020, InStyle reported. "And I know I haven't always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option."
He added, "What I want to make clear is we're not walking away, and we certainly aren't walking away from you. Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the commonwealth, and my military associations, but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible."
Prince Harry also said that his choice "doesn't change who I am or how committed I am." He added that he was stepping back his family "from all I have ever known" so they could "step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life."
Stay tuned for more news and updates about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.