Prince Harry had a reputation for being something of a bad boy before he tied the wedding knot with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. While he has reformed a slew of the Prince’s troublemaker habits remains, especially in terms of dress codes.
The recently released biography of Meghan and Harris, Finding Freedom reveals that Harry doesn’t like formal wear, specifically neckties. As a working member of the royal family, Harry had to attend a myriad of events that required him to don fancy clothing.
“Not one for pomp and circumstance, [Prince Harry] never liked certain ‘stuffy’ engagements, like state banquets at Buckingham Palace, or the overly formal attire they sometimes required,” the book reveals. “To this day, Harry doesn’t like wearing a tie.”
Aside from his specific vendetta against formal wear, there was another reason why Harry didn’t like attending these sorts of events – their media coverage. The book states that Harry opened up about his disliking for reporting focused on what he wore to the event or how he looked.
“I’m tired of people covering engagements and then going off to write some rubbish about what someone is wearing,” the Prince reportedly told a friend.
All of these complaints coincided with his general disapproval of the fanfare associated with being born into royalty. Even before he stepped back from his royal role, Harry tried avoiding this pomp and circumstance, particularly when it came to his choice of friends.
“Harry grew up into a young man most at ease around close friends and people not overly impressed with his royalty,” the book states. He was bent on introducing changes in the royal family, especially in terms of these strict formalities mandated by the palace.
“We need to liven these things up, make them more fun and interesting,” he told the Finding Freedom authors, Omid Scobie, and Carolyn Durand. Much to his chagrin, Harry didn’t get a chance to bring in institutional change before stepping back from his official duties, but he managed to make things “more fun and interesting.”