During a live conversation at The New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Prince Harry addressed speculation surrounding his marriage to Meghan Markle.
Discussing his years-long legal battles against certain British tabloids with reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin, Sorkin asked if there is an upside to the constant media attention on the couple. “No, [it’s] definitely not a good thing, because apparently we’ve bought or moved house maybe 10, 12 times. We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well,” he said with a laugh, referencing perpetual stories that the couple’s independent work activities are a sign they are heading for divorce.
The prince mentioned that he worries about the people who are misinformed because of the stories. “The people I feel the most sorry about are the trolls who—their hopes are just built and built and built, and it’s like, yes, yes, yes, yes yes. And then it doesn’t happen,” he continued, before getting serious. “So I feel sorry for ‘em. Genuinely I do, I mean that.”
Harry’s 35-minute conversation with Sorkin at the summit took place after appearances by the prince’s friend Serena Williams and “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper. During his time onstage, Harry also spoke about his experience growing up in the spotlight and how the death of his mother, Princess Diana, impacted his relationship with the media. “The fact that I was a kid and I felt helpless, there becomes this inner turmoil,” he said. “There was clearly nothing that I could do. I felt helpless. One of my biggest weaknesses is feeling helpless.”
Harry said that therapy helped him work through those emotions. “I was always convinced that I needed to be angry or frustrated towards the press because of what they did to my mom,” he said. “Through therapy and a few other bits and pieces, what really helped me to open my eyes was the reality that actually there’s no point in being depressed, sad, or specifically angry at the press because it’s not going to change anything. It’s certainly not what my mom wanted.”
His appearance at the summit marks his second public visit to New York City this year, following a three-day trip for Climate Week events in September. The visit concluded with a trip to 30 Rockefeller Plaza for a haunted house tour with Jimmy Fallon. Last month, the prince revealed he’d teamed up with country singer Jelly Roll at a tattoo shop for a comedic video promoting next year’s Invictus Games in Vancouver.
