Hoda: “Yesterday a woman came to me and she said something that really hit me in my soul. She said the Invictus games saved my life. How does that land for you?’
Harry: ‘It feels incredible. But every single game I attend, I hear the same thing from so many of them. And that… it feels great that we were able to play a part in her recovery, but it also makes me incredibly sad to know that it’s been so dark for her.
Hoda: “They were obviously talking about mental health issues: putting down that heavy backpack, like when you finally put it down, people are going to be lugging stuff around. Do you feel peaceful or peaceful?’
Harry: ‘I think everyone ends up feeling lighter, I think that’s the best way to describe it. For so many people, it’s about management. You know the things that trigger you, so you try to stay away from them. But what I do know is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for absolutely everyone.”
Hoda: “The only thing I want in my life is to feel like peaceful. You have been living in the United States for two years now. Do you feel peaceful now?’
Harry: ‘I don’t know how many people feel truly peaceful, you know? I feel – sometimes I feel massively at peace. But with everything that is going on in the world and trying to help and trying to use the platform and influence to try and get people to try and help. Again, I think the biggest concern or problem that people struggle with on a daily basis and that scares me and them more is helplessness. We humans are compassionate humans. But when life gets really tough, it can be harder for some to find compassion for other people. But what I’ve learned over the years, certainly for myself, is that I find healing in helping others. And I think what we should really focus on.’
Hoda: “I love this. I feel like life happens on a random Wednesday. Like here is an example. Some say oh my god I’m going on vacation my life is gonna be great. And it’s like exclamation mark. The vacation, the graduation, the wedding, the baby. They’re all up here. The other exclamation marks are down here. It’s like sad things that happen, loss, divorce, whatever. The biggest part of life is Wednesday. It doesn’t have the highs. And it doesn’t have the lows. It’s Wednesday right now. What does a Wednesday look like for you, coincidence?’
Harry: ‘What’s a Wednesday like? It revolves around the children as much as possible. All this working from home isn’t all that matters, certainly post Covid. Because it’s really hard when you and your kids are in the same place. It’s really hard to separate the work from them. Because they kind of overlap. So I mean, Archie spends more time interrupting our Zoom calls than anyone. But he also takes us away from them, so that’s a nice thing too.
Hoda: “Does he have your personality? Is he a bit like you? Does he have a bit of you?’
Harry: ‘What’s my thing?’
Hoda: ‘Your cheeky thing?’
Harry: ‘My cheeky thing? Yes I think so. I always try to keep that up. The cheek is something that keeps you alive. There’s just so much to be excited about in the outside world, but there’s also so much to worry about. My kind of mantra every day now, and it’s a dangerous one because I have to make sure I don’t burn out but try to make the world a better place for my kids. Otherwise, what’s the point of bringing children into this world? It’s a responsibility I feel as a parent that you probably feel as a parent too. And we can’t fix everything. We know that. But what we can do is be there for each other.”
Hoda: ‘You’ve obviously been doing a lot of news lately. You have returned to the UK. You saw your grandmother. How was it?’
Harry: ‘It was great. It was really nice to see her. Being able to see her in an element of privacy was nice. Apart from those two times, I hadn’t had the opportunity to return to Britain for a number of years. One for my grandfather’s funeral and one for the unveiling of a statue of my mother.”
Hoda: ‘How did it feel to be with her again?’
Harry: ‘Being with her was great. It was just so nice to see her. You know she’s in great shape. She always has a great sense of humor with me and I just make sure she is protected and has the right people around.
Hoda: “You make her laugh, she always says that. Did you do it again?’
Harry: ‘Yes, I have. I had tea with her. It was really nice to meet her, and you know, my home is now, you know, in the States for now. And that’s how it feels.”
Hoda: ‘Really?’
Harry: ‘Yes. We were welcomed with open arms. And we have such a great community up in Santa Barbara.”
Hoda: ‘So you feel like this is more home for you?’
Harry: ‘Yes.’
Hoda: ‘Is that weird to say?’
Harry: ‘No. But I’m sure it will be a thing.”
Hoda: ‘Your grandmother turns 96. What’s the best thing about her?’
Harry: ‘Her sense of humor and her ability to see the humor in so many different things. We have a very special relationship. We talk about things she can’t talk to anyone about, so it’s always a nice peace for her. But I think she’s … I think birthdays get boring after a certain age.”
Hoda: “You think she’s bored with her 96th. Surely she won’t get bored of the anniversary, will she?
Harry: ‘No. I do not think so. She’s had a few anniversaries now and each one is a little different. I’m sure she’s looking forward to it.”
Hoda: “Do you think you will come?”
Harry: ‘I don’t know yet. There are many things with security issues and everything else. So, that’s what I try to do, try to make it possible that I can get my kids to meet them.
Hoda: “Your family at home. Do you miss her?’
Harry: ‘Yes. I think especially in the last two years most people haven’t missed their family? The ability to even come home and see her? Naturally. That’s – you know, that’s a big part of it.”
Hoda: But do you miss your brother, your father?
Harry: “Look, I mean right now I’m focused on these guys and these families here and I’m giving everything I can 120 percent for them to make sure they have the experience of a lifetime. That’s my focus here. And when I leave here, I come back and focus on my family, who I miss massively.
Hoda: ‘You do. I bet.’
Harry: ‘Of course, these are two little people.’
Hoda: “I was thinking about a new life. You have a complete reboot. You have a whole new focus, a whole new core. How do you like that?’
Harry: “I think the focus is very similar”
Reporter: ‘Is it?’
Harry: ‘Yes, sure. From my wife’s point of view. For both of us, this is a life she signed up for and we have committed to doing this together as a couple forever. Due to circumstances we have now moved this life of ministry to the States and we will continue to do what we have done before. In this respect, nothing has changed for us. It’s just a little bit more complicated to have to start over, so to speak.
Hoda: “Sure. What do you love about fatherhood?
Harry: ‘What do I love about fatherhood? All of it. The chaos, the learning, the memory of just about every element of you, your soul, right? If you are not a parent you can get sucked into all sorts of things and you may sometimes forget who you are. And suddenly as a parent, especially now that Archie is the age he is, he’s asking all the questions.
Hoda: ‘What is he asking?’
Harry: ‘Asking why. He’s in the why phase. Why this? Why this? Why this? And instead of just trying to move on, I give him the most honest answer I can. And then it goes on and on and on until he’s satisfied. And then it is time. It is finished. Otherwise it ends at – because the world is round and life is like that.’
Hoda: ‘That’s the way it is.’
Harry: ‘Well, I love it. I love every part of it. I’ve always wanted to be a father. I’ve always wanted to have my own children and now I have two little people to be responsible for.’
Hoda: ‘Are you telling them or are you telling Archie now that he’s old enough, about your mother?’
Harry: ‘Yes. Yes / Yes. Very much so. I’m not telling him everything that happened. But sure, this is Grandma Diana and we have some photos in the house.’
Hoda: ‘Do you ever feel your mother’s presence in those moments?’
Harry: ‘Yes, no, for me it’s constant. It was in the last two years. More than ever. And it’s almost like she did her part with my brother and now she’s very happy to help me. I set it up. And now she’s helping me set it up. That’s how it feels, you know? He has his children. I have my kids, you know, the circumstances are obviously different. But now I feel her presence in almost everything I do now. But in the last two years definitely more than ever. Without question. So she’s watching over us.’
Hoda: ‘I’m sure she’s proud of you.’
Harry: ‘I’m sure it is her.’