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Unfortunately, living in the public eye comes with having to battle speculation about your personal life, and that’s something that Prince Harry knows all too well. During an appearance at an event in New York this week, Harry responded to rumors that he and Meghan Markle are secretly getting a divorce. At this point, it sounds like he’s not even surprised someone asked him this question.
Harry appeared at the New York Times’ DealBook summit on Wednesday.
When he sat down on stage for a conversation about digital media, DealBook founder Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Harry how he feels being a subject of the rumor mill.
“I Google Newsed you, and there were people fascinated by everything you’re doing, all the time,” Andrew said, per People. “They’re fascinated by Meghan is in California right now, and you’re here. And there’s articles left and right about, you know, ‘Why are you making, doing independent events? Why aren’t you doing them together?’”
Harry took the question in stride.
Harry said that he felt like it was “definitely not a good thing” that people are so interested in what goes on between him and his wife behind closed doors.
“Apparently we’ve bought or moved house 10, 12 times. We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well. So it’s just like, what?’” he said.
He said for the most part, he tries to ‘ignore’ the speculation.
“It’s hard to keep up with, but that’s why you just sort of ignore it. The people I feel most sorry about are the trolls,” he said. “Their hopes are just built and built, and it’s like, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,’ and then it doesn’t happen. So I feel sorry for them. Genuinely, I do.”
Harry went on to say that he was sure that what he was saying on stage “will be spun or twisted somehow against me.”
Harry also spoke about growing up in the public eye.
He explained, “I’ve had a lived experience since I was a kid. I’ve seen stories written about myself that aren’t exactly based on reality.”
He added, “I’ve seen stories about members of my family, friends, strangers, all sorts of people. And I think when you grow up within that environment, you do find yourself questioning the validity of the information but also what other people are thinking of that as well, and how dangerous it can be over the course of time.”
He also shared how much he’s loving life in the US.
“I very much enjoy living here and bringing up my kids here,” he said. “It’s a part of my life that I never thought that I was gonna live.”
