Prince Harry is “cursed with charisma but hates being a prince” according to a royal author. The Duke of Sussex, 40, stepped back from royal life with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020 and has not looked back since. While many royal fans were surprised at Harry’s decision at the time, especially as he seemed to enjoy royal duty, one royal expert said the duke did not like being a prince.

Speaking on The Mirror's royal podcast - named Pod Save the Queen at the time of the interview in 2022 - royal author Andrew Morton said: “They (Harry and Meghan) were thinking about living in New Zealand, and they even spoke to the Prime Minister of New Zealand about this - so they had all kinds of plots and thoughts for their future. It didn't work out because when it actually comes down to it, Prince Harry is cursed with charisma but hates being a princ,e and I think that he saw Meghan as a way out.”

He continued: “Prince Harry was and is a natural, he and his wife have got charisma and there is no denying that people do respond to them in a very positive way when they meet him.

“There is obviously a lot of negativity surrounding their behaviour and their policies but Harry has always been someone who connects.

“And when I see Harry kneeling down with his arm around some kid, I am just watching Diana. It transports you back 25, 30 years."

While Harry says he is still committed to charity work out in the US, where the family have lived since 2020, he has shown no sign of wanting to return to his royal work.

Instead, the prince has spoken happily about his new life in Montecito, California, and has said he is “grateful” for the opportunity to raise his children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, there.

Speaking at The New York Times DealBook Online Summit in December last year, the duke said: "I very much enjoy living here and bringing my kids up here. It’s a part of my life that I never thought I was going to live.

“I feel as though it's the life that my mum wanted for me. To be able to do the things I'm able to do with my kids that I undoubtedly wouldn't be able to do in the UK — it's huge. That is a fantastic opportunity and I'm hugely grateful for that."