Prince Harry Reveals Why He Chooses to Smother His Kids With Affection

Parenting within the royal family may be a bit more challenging due to all the rules and protocols they have to follow. But in an interview with Dr. Gabor Maté, Prince Harry shared that he wants to deviate from the usual practices he grew up with. And he also revealed what kind of father he is to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Prince Harry admits that his parenting style is affected by what he experienced in his childhood.

The Duke of Sussex opened up about his upbringing, saying that compared to his mother, his father King Charles III was more formal and less affectionate toward him and Prince William. He described this lack of physical affection within the family as “multi-generational” — something that has been passed on from older generations.

Prince Harry recalled that in one of the most tragic times in their family’s life, he only received a touch on the knee from his dad. He also mentioned wanting to hug his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, but holding back because it’s not usually done.

Princess Diana, on the other hand, was an extremely doting mother. In fact, she broke royal protocol several times (read more about how she did it here and here). Harry remembers her fondly — “She would just engulf you and squeeze you as tight as possible. And being as short as I was then, there was no escape, you were there, and you were there for as long as she wanted to hold you.”

“The loss of their mother, for Harry and William, was also the loss of perhaps this tender and affectionate parenting figure that they had,” according to one family psychotherapist.

He spoke about learning from past mistakes and “breaking the cycle.”

His childhood helped frame his mindset on what kind of dad he wanted to be. “It leaves me in the position now, as a father of 2 kids of my own, to make sure that I smother them with love and affection. Not smother them to the point where they’re trying to get away, and I’m like, ‘No, come here I need to hug you.’”

Prince Harry also shared that he is putting in the work to avoid passing on his negative experiences to his children. And he does this by being extra cautious of his behavior and reactions to both Archie and Lilibet.

“We only know what we know, and for myself and my wife, we do the best we can as parents — learning from our own past and overlapping those mistakes, perhaps, and growing... to break that cycle.” (Click here to read about how much of a doting dad Prince William is too.)

Prince Harry also shared how he and Meghan choose to handle their children’s outbursts.

In a previous engagement, Prince Harry gave us a glimpse of how he and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, respond when their kids are acting out. “If they have a moment of frustration, allow them to have that, and then talk to them about it afterward. When they start and you say, ‘Do not do that,’ that’s not helping.”

He also emphasized how important it is for children to feel loved inside the household and how they can also sense the different energies being exchanged between mom and dad.

Prince Harry is thankful to have Meghan by his side in this parenting journey.

The Duke of Sussex remains appreciative of Meghan. “People have said that my wife saved me, I was stuck in this world, and she was from a different world and helped draw me out of that.” And their decision to resign from royal duties gave them more liberties since they do not have to strictly follow protocol anymore.

“But none of the elements of my life would have been possible without me seeing it for myself. My partner is an exceptional human being, and I am grateful for the space that she’s given to me,” Prince Harry concluded.