Queen Elizabeth's bachelor grandson Prince Harry caused a stir Thursday by saying no members of the British royal family want to be the king or queen.
The remarkable comment by the prince was made in an interview with the US magazine Newsweek.
"Is there any one of the Royal Family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so," Harry told the magazine.
He said the royals were doing it "for the greater good of the people". Prince Harry added in the interview: "We will carry out our duties at the right time."
The young royals. /VCG Photo
The prince also spoke about the role he and his older brother Prince William are taking in modernizing the British monarchy. Prince William is second in line to the throne.
Harry in the interview paid tribute to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, for letting the younger royals "do things their own way".
Describing the monarch as remarkable, Harry added: "The Queen has been fantastic in letting us choose. She tells us to take our time and really think things through."
Queen Elizabeth II /VCG Photo
On a more somber note, Harry spoke about the day, when he was aged 12, he walked in the funeral procession for his mother, the late Princess Diana, through the streets of London.
The procession was screened live around the world.
"No child should be asked to do that," said the prince.
On the day of the funeral in 1997, Harry walked alongside his brother Prince William, his father and his grandfather, the Queen's husband Prince Philip and Diana's brother Earl Spencer, in the procession behind his mother's coffin.
File photo dated 06/09/1997 of Earl Spencer (left), the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales and her ex-husband, Prince Charles during the late prince's funeral procession to Westminster Abbey. /VCG Photo
In a recent interview, Harry, who has become a mental health champion, revealed he had received counseling to cope with the death in a car crash of his mom.
"My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television. I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today."
Talking about his role in helping to modernize the royal family, Harry said: "It's a tricky balancing act. We don't want to dilute the magic. The British public and the whole world need institutions like it."
He also revealed he did his own shopping, adding: "I worry someone will snap me with their phone. But I am determined to have a relatively normal life, and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too.
"Even if I was king, I would do my own shopping," he said.
Prince Harry speaks to guests at a reception to mark the 40th anniversary of the children's charity WellChild at Buckingham Palace on June 12, 2017 in London, England. /VCG Photo
The anti-monarchy campaign group, Republic, responded to the interview Thursday, saying Harry could always walk away from his job as a British royal.
Republic said if Harry is right, "we need a national debate about ending the monarchy."
Graham Smith, the group's CEO, said: "If this is true, that no royal really wants to be king, then I have some sympathy. But the honest truth is Harry can walk away whenever he likes. If they are reluctant royals then they should walk away -- Britain will be fine without them.
"It seems they're reluctant to do the work, but happy to take the perks and privileges that come with the role. Harry is wrong to think that he should stay on, out of some duty to the country. The country can easily find others to take on the role of head of state," Smith said.
(Source: Xinhua)
