The royal family: trapped in a golden cage?

Britain's Prince Harry has openly described in an interview how he struggles with his role as a member of the royal family. He said that a few years ago he even contemplated breaking away to lead a normal life, and that becoming king wasn't his brother William's idea of a dream job either. British media show little sympathy for the 32-year-old prince and his problems.

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The Guardian (GB) /

Harry has no idea what it means to be trapped

Unlike millions of people in hopeless situations, Prince Harry and Prince William can at least opt out, The Guardian writes with little sympathy:

“The gist of Harry's interview, implying that he and his brother are trapped in their roles, doesn't stand up to serious scrutiny. You don't have to go that far back in history to come across a king [Edward VIII] who decided that the crown wasn't worth the faff, and legged it. ... There are people trapped in poverty, with ill health, in abusive situations. ... The list sprawls on. People who, even in this developed nation, genuinely feel that they have no options, no way out at all. ... That's why, even though few of us would wish to swap lives with the princes, they'll never be as trapped as some.”

Daily Mail (GB) /

Brothers would have a hard time as commoners

Harry and William would hardly have come to anything without their status as members of the Royal Family, the Daily Mail writes disdainfully:

“They assume that if they could only escape their royal responsibilities, they could have the same lives, play on the same polo pitches, without the 24-hour media attention. If they were encouraged by those around them to have a spark of humility, they might instead see that, as men of moderate intelligence with no money other than that which the Royal Family has amassed over centuries at its subjects' expense, they would be lucky to have jobs and homes of their own, never mind holidays in the Caribbean. Neither brother seems likely to invent the Dyson vacuum cleaner or play football for Chelsea.”