Princess Diana’s pal says Harry ‘misses being a prince’ as she slams the Sussexes’ ‘appetite for money’

MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA: In a conversation with The Telegraph, Tina Brown, the former editor of Vanity Fair and a longtime friend of Princess Diana, revealed a side of Prince Harry that many have suspected but few have confirmed — he misses his royal life.

“He really knows how to play the role of the prince,” Brown said, adding, “I think he really likes it. That's what's so ironic. For a bit he thought he didn't because the Palace is boring and oppressive and so on. Now he's had a few years doing it without them, I think he really misses being a prince because he was good at it."

Tina Brown calls out Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 'appetite for money'

Tina Brown, who has long observed royal dynamics both from within and afar, didn’t hold back when analyzing the current chapter of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s life after stepping down as working royals.

"He and Meghan talk about ‘doing good’ but what good are they doing? The good you can do as a royal is so much more potent," said Brown.

According to her, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have become “disaster tourists."

She pointed to their January visit to meet the Los Angeles fire victims at the Pasadena Convention Centre, where they handed out food parcels, as an example of how their public appearances have lost their original impact.

“I think Harry feels it keenly,” Brown said about Harry’s apparent awareness of their fading relevance. “But he's obviously loyal to his wife," she added.

Brown credited the damage to the explosive claims made in Harry’s memoir 'Spare', which Brown believes was driven by the Montecito-based couple's "appetite for money."

“Unfortunately, his appetite — their appetite — for money made him make disastrous decisions,” she said, adding, “The disastrous decision of the book was very hard to return from."

Despite the scrutiny, Harry and Markle continue to push forward with their activism.

They unveiled the 'Lost Screen Memoria' in New York City, a heart-wrenching tribute to children lost to online harm, on Wednesday, April 23.

The installation, part of The Archewell Foundation's No Child Lost to Social Media campaign, features 50 illuminated smartphones, each displaying the lock screen photo of a child whose life was cut short by the darker corners of the internet.

Prince Harry says 'life is better off of social media'

Speaking at the memorial, Prince Harry emphasized the urgent need for change, the Daily Mail reported.

“We want to make sure that things are changed so that... no more kids are lost to social media. Life is better off social media,” he told 'BBC Breakfast'.

He went further, sharing with journalists at an Archewell Foundation event, “The easiest thing to say is to keep your kids away from social media. The sad reality is the kids who aren't on social media normally get bullied at school because they can't be part of the same conversation as everybody else."

"Life is better off of social media. I say that as a parent, and I say that as someone who's spoken to many of the kids here tonight who lost a brother or a sister to social media. But clearly, enough is not enough. Enough is not being done," said the duke.

Prince Harry calls out tech giants

Prince Harry didn't mince words when addressing tech companies either.

“Some of the stories here are truly harrowing. You think you've heard the worst of it until nights like this, here in America. Some of these stories, they are crime scenes, and these companies are getting away with it by saying, 'We don't need to give you disclosure'," he lashed out.

"For families, some of the arguments that are being made around privacy, you're telling a parent, you're telling a dad and a mum that they can't have the details of what happened," Harry continued.

His message was hauntingly clear: “These children were not sick. Their deaths were not inevitable — they were exposed to, and in many cases were pushed harmful content online, the kind any child could encounter. No child should be exploited, groomed, or preyed upon in digital spaces. To the platforms, they may be seen as statistics."

"To their families, they were cherished and irreplaceable. While social media companies claim to be taking action, most still withhold critical data from grieving parents — data that could provide answers and accountability. This is a growing crisis. Social media is quietly taking our children, and those with the power to make change are failing to act," he added.

Meghan Markle urges action on social media safety

James Holt and Shauna Nep, Executive Directors of The Archewell Foundation, echoed the urgency in a statement: “This memorial is a collective act of remembrance, and a call to action."

On April 24, Meghan added her voice with an emotional post on Instagram, sharing a video from the unveiling.

She wrote: “An important and emotional evening last night in NY as we unveiled #NoChildLostToSocialMedia with parents and families who have lost their children to online harms. My husband and I have worked with many of these families for the last several years, and through The Archewell Foundation and our program The Parents' Network, we support them in their grief and stand with them in their call for action."

"No matter how divided the world may be, we can all agree that we want our children to be safe from harm. That is a universal truth," she added.