Prince Harry has spoken openly about how he deals with the constant stream of hateful and misleading articles about him and his family. During his appearance in 2024 from the New York Times At the DealBook Summit in New York City, the Duke of Sussex candidly discussed the challenges of growing up in the public eye and the dangers posed by media misinformation.
Harry revealed his personal strategy for dealing with media coverage, joking: “I highly recommend” avoiding reading about yourself in the press. “I’ve seen stories written about me that aren’t exactly based in reality,” he said, reflecting on how false narratives have impacted his life.
The Duke explained how growing up under relentless media scrutiny has led him to question the validity of the information presented. “When you grow up in that environment, you find yourself questioning the validity of information, but also what other people think and how dangerous that can be over time.” Harry shared.
He emphasized the importance of separating himself from the media cycle, adding: “Throughout my life, there will be times when I read a lot and times when I don’t read at all. I highly recommend the latter.”
Harry explained. how stopping reading articles about yourself has allowed you to regain control. “Once you stop reading things about yourself, you automatically take the power out of their hands. With that element of fear comes an element of control.”
The duke also spoke about how the fear of losing control over the narrative kept him in the media spotlight longer than he would have liked. “And I guess one of the reasons I probably didn’t get out of that situation sooner was that same fear: ‘Well, they control the narrative,’ whatever I do or say, they can effectively control me and keep me in that space.” .
Her candid reflections shed light on the difficulties of living under the constant gaze of the media and the personal empowerment she has found by disconnecting from it.