Prince Harry will be hurt by having military titles stripped, suggests close friend
20 February 2021, 15:06 | Updated: 20 February 2021, 15:19
Close friend of Prince Harry predicts stripping of titles will have heavy impact on him
A close friend of Prince Harry suggests that the military was 'where he was most comfortable,' and having his titles removed will hurt.
Dean Stott is a former British Special Forces soldier who now lives in California and is a close friend of Prince Harry. He spoke to Matt Frei following the news that the Sussexes will step away from their royal duties.
"Harry's path is very different from his brother's," Mr Stott pointed out.
He said that because Prince Harry "was never going to be king" the Sussexes decided to look more realistically at their life and career opportunities and felt they were better suited outside of the Royal Family.
Matt wondered if the Sussexes may feel relieved to have "dispensed with some of the roles."
Mr Stott hinted that Harry may have been disappointed to have his military titles stripped but that is "unfortunately some of the consequences of stepping back."
He added that such a "difficult decision" would have been considered heavily by the Sussexes before nailing their colours to the mast.
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"In an ideal world," Matt pushed, "would Harry have wanted to keep his title of Captain General of the Royal Marines?"
Mr Stott gave little away: "He's a proud military man," he said, before noting that the military was "was where [Harry] was most comfortable," and having his titles removed must have hurt.
"Having to give up that title is [not something] he's done lightly."
He noted that Prince Harry will look fondly on his time in the forces, arguing that it is the "closest he'll ever be to some sort of normality."
