Prince Harry was exposed to adult temptations from a young age, influenced by his older brother Prince William and his circle of Eton friends, according to royal author Roberto Lacey. In his book Battle of brothersLacey explores how Harry’s involvement in William’s social circle led him to face temptations far beyond his years.
Lacey writes that during their time at Eton, Harry and William shared two of the most intimately connected years of their lives. William had established a trusted group of friends and Harry was welcomed into their fold. However, many of these friends were two years older than Harry, which meant that the young prince became familiar with certain behaviours and temptations prematurely.
“Many of the members of his growing social circle were two years older than him, so it was likely that the 14-year-old was exposed to temptations before his age.” Lace notesShe adds that although Harry seemed self-assured, his maturity did not match the image he projected.
Harry has since spoken openly about his experiences with substance abuse, admitting that his introduction to drugs came during his time at Eton. Reflecting on those years, he said: “I don’t remember how we got the drug. I suppose it was one of my mates. Or maybe several.”
Harry detailed how he and his friends would use a small bathroom to smoke marijuana. “We would take over a tiny bathroom upstairs, where we would implement a surprisingly neat and well thought-out assembly line,” Harry recalled. “The smoker would straddle the toilet by the window, the second kid would lean on the sink, the third and fourth would sit in the empty tub, legs dangling, waiting their turn.”
Once finished, Harry said the group would retreat to a room and laugh together, often while watching episodes of Family guy“We’d laugh ourselves sick at one or two episodes of a new show,” Harry said.
These early experiences, as detailed in Battle of brothersThey offer an insight into how Harry’s formative years were shaped by the influence of his older brother’s social circle and how he was introduced to behaviors far beyond his years at an early stage in life.