Prince Harry Hinted at Starting a Family and Moving Abroad in a 2015 Interview, Pre-Meghan Markle

"Whenever anyone says to me that it was Meghan's fault they left, that conversation always springs to mind."

Prince Harry wears a suit jacket and an open white shirt as he hugs wife Meghan Markle at Global Citizen, she is wearing a white dress adorned with silver detailing
(Image credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

It's hard to imagine Prince Harry without Duchess Meghan. After meeting on a blind date in the summer of 2016, Harry and Meghan's relationship blossomed. Just one year prior to their first meeting, Prince Harry gave a revealing interview, in which he shared his desire to start a family and move aborad.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex tied the knot at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018. They've since welcomed two children—Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet—and built a life together in Montecito, California. But before Prince Harry found his other half, he expressed a desire to follow in Prince William's footsteps by settling down.

During an official visit to New Zealand in 2015, Prince Harry spoke with royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills for Sky News about his hopes for the future. "Of course, I'd love to have kids right now," Harry said during the interview.

The Duke of Sussex continued, "But, yeah, there's a process one has to go through. And, you know, tours like this is great fun, hopefully I'm doing alright by myself. It would be great to have someone else next to me to, sort of, share the pressure. But the time will come."

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In an interview with The Sun's "Royal Exclusive Show," royal expert Mills opened up about her enlightening conversation with Prince Harry all those years earlier.

"I said to him, 'Have you ever thought about moving away?'" Mills explained. "He was like, 'Yes, I'd love to. I'd love to move away. But I can't because of what I need to do to support The Queen.'"

Mills revealed that Harry's comments "stuck with [her] forever." The royal correspondent explained, "So whenever anyone says to me, that it was Meghan's fault they left, that conversation always springs to mind because he always had it in him—this potential to jump."

In Mills' opinion, Harry met Meghan Markle at the perfect time. "I think Meghan came along and said, 'Hold my hand and we'll jump together,'" Mills said.

Prince Harry wears a black polo shirt featuring a small Invictus Games logo while he poses for a photo with his wife, Meghan Markle, who wears a white shirt

(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)

Royal correspondent Mills also reflected on Harry's 2015 comments about starting a family. "He came out with this brilliant line—'I'd love to have kids right now, but there's a process that you have to go through'— to which his communications team took a bit of an intake of breath, like, 'Oh my goodness, why did he say that?'"

Mills continued, "But then he also went on to say about how he just wanted to have someone alongside him to support him." Of course, it was the following year that Harry met his future wife.

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.