Prince Harry has admitted his son Archie changed “everything” for him.
The 36-year-old royal loves the “healing” powers of nature and when his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, gave birth to their first child in May 2019, it gave him a renewed sense of purpose to look after the planet for the sake of future generations.
Speaking in a video talk to launch conservation-based streaming service WaterBear Network, he said: “Being in nature is the most healing part of life. I truly believe that’s why it’s there.
“From the moment you become a father, everything really does change because then you start to realise, well, what is the point in bringing a new person into this world when they get to your age and it’s on fire?
“We can’t steal their future, we really can’t. That’s not the role, that’s not the job we’re here for. I’ve always believed that hopefully we can leave the world in a better place than when we found it.”
The prince acknowledged that 2020 has been a “universally tough year for everybody” but believes the coronavirus pandemic has given people the opportunity to reflect on the state of the world.
He said: “Somebody said to me at the beginning of the pandemic, it’s almost as if Mother Nature has sent us to our rooms for bad behaviour. To really take a moment and think about what we’ve done.”
Harry also joked about a moment on his and Meghan’s 2019 tour of Africa when he had to dance in public, admitting it was his “idea of hell”.
He said: “Whoa, whoa, whoa, dancing when all the cameras are there is my idea of hell.
“You can’t help it. I’m sitting there on the chair, trying to work my way through the people and they grab your hand and say, ‘Let’s dance!’ And then my wife starts dancing and I’m like, ‘OK, here we go.’ And I know that people are going to laugh at me.”