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A decade for reflection and putting gossip to bed

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A decade for reflection and putting gossip to bed


On Sept 15, the Duke of Sussex turns 40. His future looks very different from how we might have expected at his last milestone birthday, ten years ago.

Then, the popular 30-year-old Duke was fourth in line to the throne and looked set for a life of royal duty.

But sources close to the Duke told The Telegraph he now has no interest in returning to those duties and is focused solely on his future in the US, four years after cutting loose from the British monarchy.

The sources rebutted recent reports that the Duke wanted to spend more time in his former home – and perhaps even return to a back-seat role in the “firm” he and the Duchess were so keen to leave behind in 2020.

Instead – with his tell-all memoir, bombshell media interviews and Netflix documentary series out of the way – can the Duke finally devote himself fully to the causes we know are so important to him and the legacy he intends to leave?

At 40 years old, he seems to stand somewhat at a crossroads. Having established that he wants to stay in America and put down roots for his young family, what will his next 10 years look like? 

After the Duke and Duchess made a quasi-royal tour of Colombia – the third foreign tour they have undertaken this year – former advisers spoke to the press about their hope that the Duke can finally get on with the things that bring him joy and fulfilment.

Rift with father and brother

In terms of family relations, he has almost fully lost personal contact with his father and brother. 

But, recently, the Duke has made no secret of his wish to reconcile with the King, despite conflicting narratives emerging from their respective camps about who is rebuffing whom.

The Duke dropped everything and rushed to his father’s side when he learned of his illness – and since then he has made an unannounced visit to the UK to attend the funeral of his uncle, Lord Fellowes.

The trips show that the Duke is keen to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his family. The funeral was the first time he and the Prince of Wales had been in the same room together this year – but even then the pair didn’t speak, it was reported. 

However, it is clear that the Duke is still supported by the Spencers – his mother’s relatives – at a time when he is almost never seen with his father’s side of the family.

Family life in California

In Montecito, California, he hosts new friends at his and the Duchess’s nine-bedroom home and is seen occasionally going out for dinner at the local steakhouse or upmarket Italian restaurant.

The Duke has achieved part of what he set out to do at 30: finding someone with whom to settle down and build a life. He is now half of one of the most famous marriages in the world. 

He has become a doting father of two: Prince Archie is five and at school, while the three-year-old Princess Lilibet has “found her voice”, according to the Duchess.

The family’s domestic life is marked by idyllic days on the beach, walking the dogs, kite-flying on the lawn, bike rides and school runs in the Californian sunshine.

Birthday party

A 40th birthday party, on some scale, will happen in California, the base of the Duke’s life now, with his wife and children at the centre of it.

As for whether he is happy and settled, his transition to that stratospheric celebrity status in the US has seen him firefighting constant gossip, while also fuelling that gossip with his own accusations and revelations

Those close to him maintain that, despite the ongoing rifts with family back in Britain, the Duke is incredibly happy and is determined to look forwards, not back.

We are told that, as he enters his fifth decade, Harry is as committed as ever to the Sussexes’ mission: show up, do good. 

He no longer wants to dwell on past grievances – so, at 40, can the Duke focus on the future he wants?

Watch India McTaggart’s video analysis above. Find more episodes of Royal Insight on The Telegraph’s YouTube channel.

Look out for more episodes of Royal Insight, which is a fortnightly series: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-insight/



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