Prince Harry will 'suffer' despite Canada move, says longtime friend

One of Prince Harry’s closest friends has revealed how the Duke of Sussex is feeling after he and Meghan officially stepped back from the royal family and left the UK for Canada.

In a new ABC News special ‘Royal Divide: Harry, Meghan, and the Crown’, which looks at whether Harry and Meghan’s life can actually be ‘more peaceful’ after leaving the firm, professional polo player and longtime friend of Harry’s Nacho Figueras said the Duke has “suffered a lot”.

“I spoke to Harry a few days ago,” Nacho Figueras told the ABC.

“He has suffered a lot from all of the things that have happened to him. He suffers a lot from people judging him.”

Figueras added he thinks Harry’s mother Princess Diana would be proud of him for making this huge decision to protect his young family.

“He's being a father ... a guy who is trying to protect his cub and his lioness from whatever it takes,” he said of Harry. “He has become an incredible man, a man that his mother would be proud of.”

However, Harry may be in search of a ‘normal life’ with his wife and son, but Figueras acknowledged the difficulties that will likely face his friend, the sixth in line to the British throne.

“He wants to live a normal life, as normal as his life is going to be, right?,” Figueras said.

“Because when you have 1,000 paparazzis outside your house in Canada waiting to get one picture of your son, that's not very, very normal.”

The couple has indicated their distaste for some parts of the British press and the media spotlight in general, but experts say they are unlikely to get any reprieve from the spotlight as intrigue into their new lives will only grow.

“The idea that by somehow stepping back from the royal family they’re going to somehow regain control of their privacy is tragically a fool's errand,” Larry Hackett, managing partner of 10Ten Media and former People magazine editor said.

“That’s just not going to happen. In fact it’s going to get worse.”

ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman agreed, “Every single moment in their lives, whether it's the first major commercial deal that Meghan and Harry have just struck, or their next child, every single moment will be tracked. This is high stakes.”

Earlier this month Prince Harry and Meghan threatened legal action over paparazzi photos taken of Meghan and Archie in a park in Canada.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had lawyers issue a cease and desist letter to the UK media and expressed concern the photos of Meghan walking her dogs and carrying Archie were taken by photographers hiding in the bushes and spying. And that she did not consent to having her photo taken.

They accused the photographers of harassment, and said they were prepared to take legal action if necessary.

Prince Harry left for Canada after his final royal engagement in the UK on January 20.

But the couple are reportedly concerned about the heightened paparazzi activity near their current home base in Vancouver, with lawyers also claiming there have been attempts by photographers to grab a snap from inside their home.

According to a different source, however, Meghan Markle couldn’t be happier about the couple’s move to Canada.

Despite reports yesterday that claimed Meghan and Harry had been too rash with their decision and they might return to royal life within months, it’s now being claimed that there’s no going back for Meghan.

“Meghan couldn't be happier since leaving the UK,” the source told US Weekly.

“Meghan feels free. She has never been happier. She’s happy to be out of London.”

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