Prince Harry Is on the Path to a 'Future of Less and Less Importance' After Ditching the Royal Family

Prince Harry left the royal family in 2020, and since then, the Duke of Sussex publicly struggled to establish himself in the entertainment industry. Now, experts wonder if he can remain influential without his royal status.

"I think it will be a future of less and less importance in terms of who he is," author Jane Marguerite Tippett said in an interview.

Tippett compared the duke to his granduncle Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson.

"Edward had been a Prince of Wales for 25 years, he had been a king emperor — the aura of that lasted most of his life, but even by the end of it he was, of course, a much less consequential figure than he was, say in 1938 or '39, when memories of him as the most important royal in the world were still very fresh," Tippett continued.

Tippett explained that Harry's professional trajectory could be short-lived.

"Prince Harry had a career of about five years as a working royal, this is so short," she continued. "I think what you'll find is that his importance is derived from the institution."

The commentator later speculated that Harry's relevance stems from his proximity to the crown.

"The longer [Harry] is away from that institution, the less important he will be because he only has a position in relation to that," she continued.

Although Edward's marriage to Simpson turned heads, the writer noted that he avoided attacking the monarchy after he abandoned his role.

"I think [Edward] was very careful to ensure that the material he left behind was not seen as catty [and] was not seen as trying to get back at the royal family in any way," she explained.

OK! previously reported American commentator Kinsey Schofield discussed the Duke of Sussex's transition into life in California during a television appearance.

“Even without knowing what I know, you have to imagine that this is a young man that grew up in an all-boys school with a bunch of rambunctious guys," Schofield said on GB News.

Many of Harry's core memories stem from his life at Eton College and growing up in Kensington Palace.

“A lot of really deep, fun, silly friendships. They experience something that normally people didn’t experience," the podcaster added. “Going away to school and waking up with your friends every day, then Christmases in a castle where every room is filled with your cousins."

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After the release of Spare and his various tell-all projects, Harry's relationship with the Windsors was greatly impacted. Due to their ongoing feud, Harry is expected to spend the holiday season in California with Meghan Markle and their kids instead of with the Windsors in the U.K.

“Today, he’ll wake up and celebrate a birthday with four people in the room. His children, his wife and his mother-in-law," Schofield shared. “I do believe he aches for the world he left behind.”