During a visit to Ukraine, Prince Harry pushed back against the notion that he is no longer a member of the royal family, insisting his royal heritage is permanent and his public service continues.
"I will always be part of the royal family," Harry told ITV News on April 24. "I'm here working and doing the very thing that I was born to do and I enjoy doing it."
The 41-year-old Duke of Sussex—father to Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4, with wife Meghan Markle—said he is "grateful" for the platform his royal status provides to highlight issues like the war in Ukraine.
Addressing his and Meghan's 2020 decision to step back from royal duties, Harry reiterated that they never intended to completely sever ties. "It was never walking away," he said in a 2021 interview with James Corden. "It was a really difficult environment. The British press was destroying my mental health."
He added, "I did what any husband, any father would do. I need to get my family out of here. But we never walked away. I will never walk away. My life is public service. Wherever I am in the world, it's going to be the same thing."