Prince Harry’s heartbreak over losing his military roles in his and Meghan Markle’s royal exit

Prince Harry has reportedly been struggling with one detail of his and Meghan Markle’s royal exit more than the rest: the loss of his military titles.

The Duke of Sussex has always been open about his dedication to the Army, speaking candidly about his passion for the British Armed Forces.

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It made the loss of his titles and military roles an even more devastating blow when he and Meghan quit the monarchy.

In fact, according to Finding Freedom authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, that severed connection to the Armed Forces has been the most “demoralising” thing for Harry.

“If his grandmother’s validation of his experiences served as encouragement, the most demoralising aspect of the new deal was his being stripped of his honorary military appointments that had been awarded to him as a senior royal,” they write.

“As a retired serviceman, Harry would always be able to wear his medals, but no longer could he wear uniform as Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Force Commandant of the Royal Air Force Base Honington, and honorary Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Navy’s Small Ships and Diving Operations. These roles had come to an end.”

It was a crushing blow for the royal, who has previously confessed he once considered leaving the royal family to dedicate himself wholly to his role in the army.

And though Harry and Meghan stood firm in their decision to leave the monarchy, the Duchess of Sussex struggled to see Harry lose something so important to him.

“That’s been a tough pill to swallow, and the one that has been most painful to Meghan witness him go through,” a source claimed in Finding Freedom.

Since their official royal exit in March, the Sussexes have embraced their new life in the US, recently announcing a massive deal with streaming platform Netflix.

But sources close to the pair claimed Harry struggled with the split, especially in the weeks immediately after their exit was made official.

“He was in a happy place when he was serving in the Army, then he met Meghan and since then life has been great,” a friend of Harry’s told the Telegraph.

“But I don’t think he foresaw things turning out quite as they did.”

Harry has always spoken highly of his time in the Army and has reportedly told friends he is missing the camaraderie of being in the military.

“Of course he doesn’t blame Meghan. There is just a sense that he might have been better protected if he was still in the Army,” the friend added.

The Duke served two tours of Afghanistan during his decade-long military career, before leaving the Armed Forces in 2015 but continuing to serve ceremonial roles within the Army.

Speaking candidly in 2017, the royal told Mail on Sunday that his time in the army made him seriously consider a life outside of the royal family.

“I felt as though I was really achieving something. I wasn’t a Prince, I was just Harry,” he said at the time.

“I felt I wanted out [of the royal family] but then decided to stay in and work out a role for myself.”

The Army remained close to his heart and inspired him to establish the Invictus Games for wounded service men and women in 2014, which he continues to lead today.