Before Prince Harry met a certain plucky American actress, I often talked about how Harry was the Bridget Jones of the British royal family. He was forever a Singleton, getting pissed with his mates and complaining that he would die alone. The Bridget Jones thing completely fits. And then he found his Mark Darcy in Meghan Markle. And we just knew! He knew she was the one, and he was prepared to do anything to make her happy. What’s interesting is that I don’t even think that any of this is a case of “Meghan orders Harry to give up smoking and take up yoga.” I think Harry is just the kind of man who tailors his life and interests to his wife/partner, and he has just gotten involved with all of Meghan’s interests. It happened organically, and it happened because Harry waited until he found “the one” and he was open to changing himself. Well, Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair has an update about just how much Harry’s life has changed over the past few years:
He’s really happy: Today, happily married, Harry is looking forward to becoming a father, and he told one old friend just recently, “I still can’t believe my luck.” With his beautiful, inspiring, and driven wife by his side, there is no doubt Harry is happier, healthier, and a changed man since meeting Meghan.
He’s not drinking but he is juicing: These days Harry is a teetotaler in solidarity with his pregnant wife, to the utter shock of his friends, and on a healthy-eating regimen which involves starting his day with a green juice. He has apparently even given up caffeine.
He meditates & does yoga: According to plans for Frogmore Cottage, their new home in Windsor, the couple plan to have a yoga studio built at Meghan’s behest. The 37-year-old duchess is a huge yoga fan and enjoys vinyasa and hot yoga. She has continued her routine in pregnancy and convinced Harry to try it.
Harry’s “old buddies” are baffled: “We never thought Harry would be raving about yoga, but he loves it,” one of his friends told Vanity Fair. “He looks great, he’s lost weight, he’s super healthy, and I think he’s really happy although I’m sure he does miss going out with some of his old mates for the occasional pint.”
He quit smoking too: In addition to giving up drinking while Meghan is pregnant, the duke has apparently quit smoking, much to the relief of his family. He has lost weight as a result of a new exercise regimen, which involves at least two sessions a week at KX gym in Fulham. He wears a fitness tracker to make sure he is keeping up with his required quota of daily steps.
He’s an early riser now: “Harry used to love lying in, but he’s up super early with Meghan and the first thing he says he does is a work out, then he has a green juice,” says the friend. “Meghan is definitely behind his new regimen. They both see a nutritionist and are into their supplements.” While Meghan is understood to be having acupuncture to help relax her and prepare for the birth, Harry has apparently drawn the line at needles. A duke’s got to stop somewhere.
I still doubt that he’s given up caffeine or tea or whatever. I do believe he’s given up alcohol while Meghan is pregnant, but I imagine she’ll “let” him have a few pints a week once the baby comes. Meghan’s not on the wagon or anything – she likes a good wine, and I would imagine she doesn’t mind a good cocktail. As for the yoga-juicing-healthy vibes from Harry… I love it. He seems happy and like he’s waited so long to be married, just so this can happen – he has a purpose, and that purpose is tailoring his life to Meghan’s. They’re so “newlywed” you know? It’s sweet.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
He didn’t wait that long actually, I believe he was just 33 when he got married. The story goes like that because Wills was with Kate for 5 decades before marrying her and Harry had different girlfriends you know, like a normal person does without someone waity-ing for him.
IKR? He married in his early 30s and now lives like an adult. Honestly, if you factor in years of military service, he wasn’t a party boy for that much of his youth. Problem is he did a few high profile idiotic things that are hard to shake.
Lol stop. Harry was a wild partier for yearrrs, starting at 14. It’s okay. People change but the narrative shouldn’t.
I guess what I mean is his partying ended by an appropriate age (along with having a military career in his younger years). I have no stake in defending Harry as much as giving anyone a pass who doesn’t figure sh*t out till their early 30s.
Ok cool. Makes sense, thanks for replying and agree.
Young man in the public eye matures and makes better life decisions. Let’s acknowledge that by taking pot shots at his family. I don’t get it.
I don’t get it either.
I think the most annoying thing of all is that he is constantly used as William’s fall guy and William is 10 times worse than him. He was partying, so what? I did too. All of us did that or still do. He matured, got married and didn’t string along a girl without a job in a process. I am really fine with him drinking beer with friends or doing yoga and a cleanse, really. It’s his choice.
Coverage of Chelsy was pretty brutal too. She always got slagged for drinking but meanwhile she was going to law school while Kate and William were clubbing post university and Kate wasn’t working or at school. It foreshadowed how Meghan would be treated.
Yeah, I really don’t understand why going clubbing in your 20s is seen as wild partying like it’s outside of the normal range of behaviour for people this age. I went clubbing all through my 20s and still occasionally now in my 30s. I don’t have kids, I’m single, Why TF not?? When I was in a long-term relationship I went less and often I just don’t feel like it these days, but when I was living in Tokyo and Athens in the last two years I certainly went clubbing and I definitely wasn’t the only one! In all my years of clubbing I went to university and business college, held down a variety of jobs, worked extremely hard, worked out a lot, went hiking and adventuring, had relationships, travelled the world, have been told by numerous doctors that I am extremely healthy, cared for my sister’s kids and various friends kids, and met all of my responsibilities. I really really don’t get the side eye and criticism. Clubbing is fun! Shocking, I know.
Five decades, LOL!
As someone who suffered from depression, mental health issues in his youth, I’d imagine yoga, meditation and even a healthy regimen all make sense for him to keep him in a great mental space. That’s the natural way to maintain great mental health. Good for him,
Also wait, he still has pals lol I thought Meg made him give them all up lol.
Agreed.
I was in a dark place at a certain point of my life, I gained weight (and I am very small, so even a few pounds are too much) I was a mess, sport and learning how to cook helped me getting back on track, Yoga is not my thing, but I can totally relate on why whoever is suffering for some reason find sport so helpful. Taking care care of you helps a lot.
They’re branding themselves as the middle class, health conscious Sussex-Markles, right? After Normal Bill, Healthy Harry!
I think it is the media that is branding them.
I totally agree with this take.
Isn’t Katie Nicholl the Middleton Mouthpiece? She hasn’t had any real insight into Meghan & Harry. What’s the dog’s name, if you know so much then Katie?
I wonder if Harry sends early morning texts as well? lol
I just don’t get the f&cking deal about early morning texts! Nothing I’ve read suggests that Meghan expects a RESPONSE of any kind at 5am! She just thinks of something, and shoots off a text before she forgets. Big f-ing deal. You deal with it when you wake up. Why is this so offensive to the delicate Brit sensibility? Why should she duplicate the thought process later? WTF do you care what time the text was sent if it’s ok to actually act on it during normal business hours? Are Brits really so sheltered that this process is unheard of, even objectionable? Kinda brings snowflake syndrome to a whole new low. 🙄
It’s because those texts go through. When someone text me when I’m asleep, it wakes me up and then I can’t go to sleep. I would be pissed if my boss text me at 5 am regardless if she wants an answer or not.
@nicole
Oh please, it’s called a smartphone. You can change the setting to not alert you until a certain time. But anyway, now it’s texts, I thought it was emails?
@jessica
I don’t know if it’s a text or an email and I don’t care. I’m responding to what the OP said and why some people (myself included) would not be happy getting a text from their boss at 5 am and I shouldn’t have to turn off my notifications because of her. If she has something she wants to tell me but is afraid she’ll forget, she can write it down.
Even if a boss doesn’t expect a response at 5am, it’s not ok to text outside of business hours. The boss should make a list of the things they are thinking and then email or text them within business hours. If they are using email, they can save the drafts of their emails and then hit send at 9am. That’s what I do. At 9am, I open my email drafts folder and send out all the emails I’ve been writing the night before and early that morning. I make it part of my day, every day, so I never forget.
In my previous job I had a separate work phone since I was constantly getting direct calls from clients and when the work day was up I turned it off until I started the next morning, otherwise I would have been inundated with calls after work. If my boss had texted me at 5 AM I would have been pissed, or gotten a separate phone. Life is stressful enough without having annoying people try to get you to work for free on your precious little freetime lol. Not saying this article about Meghan is true, but common. Nobody likes an overzealous texter :/
Just don’t turn into a big priss, Harry me lad…
Right? Sounds like that’s going to get old pretty soon.
How so? It’s similar to my routine and I have yet to grow weary of it.
This isn’t anything unusual. It’s called being married.
I’m a caffeine junky. Time was I’d have two Americanos by 2pm, totaling six daily shots of espresso. But really trying to cut back to sleep better, wake up refreshed, need less caffeine to get through day.
I enjoy caffeine also. I make coffee at home. I stay at home with my two babies. If the younger one is up teething a night, I might drink coffee at 4AM because I know I won’t have the chance to get back to sleep. It’s a lifesaver for me. Gives me energy and helps me be a good mom. lol! In a typical day, I only drink 1 cup or less. I never get a chance to get thru a whole cup of coffee without microwaving it 2-4 times! There is nothing wrong with some caffeine.
I don’t know … I’ve had friends who “encouraged” their spouses and significant others to change to be more like themselves. It often ends up that the person doing the changing eventually becomes resentful. When you marry or commit to someone, you shouldn’t assume or expect that you can change them.
@PhillyGal…. It really is a question of whether individuals have a true sense of themselves before marriage. For those that do, participating and sharing the other spouse’s interest is fun and bonding. For those who don’t know themselves, it’s another point on their and it won’t end well. I find it odd that nobody never mentions what hobbies or interests of Harry”s that Meghan has taken up. Is it a lopsided relationship or just continued bad press?
I mean she gave up her birth country, acting career, and ability to have a semi normal life (including exposing her nutty family). That’s plenty! Anyway, at least this story is written in generally positive terms. Tired of hearing crap about Megan and was prepared for more blaming her for changing him. Harry had previously expressed concern about finding someone who would want his life, so I believe he is genuinely grateful to have found essentially his dream girl.
As Kk2 rightly pointed out, Meghan took up royaling. That’s enough right there.
The media narrative is to portray Harry as whipped. So they won’t mention how she’s adjusted for him.
BigGirl – Yeah, you could be right. We will never really know the dynamics of their relationship, but I wish them the best.
But that’s who she was when he fell in love with her, so he probably saw in her something he wanted to change in himself. I doubt she’s pressuring him to do any of this. She does it and he’s like oooh I wanna try.
Exactly.
He’s somebody who has acknowledged mental health issues, but also physical issues as well. Harry has said the military service took a toll on his body, and that he had to get himself fixed up after he retired. I believe he has specifically mentioned back problems. I can imagine yoga may have made a positive difference in his life. There’s evidence he did stop drinking in solidarity with Meghan, but I’m sure she will be at least as happy as him to have a glass of wine in a few months. Stopping smoking going all the way back to when they were trying to conceive a child makes sense.
It probably depends on the things you change and how they make you feel. If the changes make you feel better and happier then they are more likely to stick. Why would feeling good make you resentful? It also depends if someone is forceful about the change, making them stipulations, rather than the habits we carry into relationships rubbing off on each other, for good or bad. I don’t get the feeling (but really, what do we know!) that Meghan made stipulations that Harry do these things but rather Harry enjoys doing them with his wife because they have a positive benefit. Maybe some things will stick long term while a few changes might fall by the wayside. No biggie!
I agree with your general point, but like most things in life, it’s situation dependent. It doesn’t sound like Harry is no longer “harry,” he’s just shed some of the more negative aspects of his life (smoking, not exercising, etc.)
My guess is that this is the kind of situation where Harry looks at Meghan and wants to be the best he can for her, so he is making healthier choices. I don’t think Meghan is saying to him, “we do yoga at dawn! And then, we text everyone! If you’re not on board, you’re OUT!!”
😂😂😂
When I met my husband I tried some of the stuff he liked (and still likes) and some of it resonated with me…and vice versa. It’s called positive influence aka inspiration. Happens all the time with a lot of people (couples, friends, families,…) Perfectly normal and healthy imho.
You said this much more concisely than I did above. I got into hiking and backpacking after meeting my husband, which I ended up loving and even ran a hiking group for our friends to share the awesomeness. He ended up trying yoga and stretching due to me and now he’s much more limber than I am!
Thanks to my impressive couch-potato-ing and period-drama-obsessing skillz, my husband is now a champion Downton Abbey / The Crown watcher. I’m proud.
@ader
Lol! Impressive!
I wish my love of period dramas rubbed off on him! Then again, I don’t watch Star Wars cartoons or Supernatural with him so I guess we’re even.
@coco – mine just tolerated Downton, but somehow I’m now hooked on Star Wars cartoons. 🤷🏻♀️
YAS I agree. My husband and I are the same age and when we met — he was much more settled than I was (he had a clear sense of career, 5-year plan etc. while I thought about dropping out of my bachelors). We eventually ended up going to the same grad program together in the US. Not because he forced me to or I was whipped, but because I was inspired and started to own my shit and we started growing together.
Anyways, all the habits Harry are taking on sound like super positive ones (a bunch of them are on my resolutions list for 2019). Actually, that’s really sweet and portraying “mental health” for manly men, without being involved in a fancy Heads Together project. Hope he sticks to them. 🙂 Love these two.
It’s great that he’s doing yoga and meditation. I had to eye-roll at the way his refusal to try acupuncture is framed, though. He’s too much of a wuss with needles? Or he’s a good, no-nonsense British lad who’s not going to go for that tree-hugging foreign stuff? Either way….meh.
Just a few thoughts on that:
Acupuncture needles are tiny and don’t hurt in most areas.
Some spots hurt, like fingers or certain areas of the face, but your practitioner can avoid them.
At times, a needle will hurt because the area is blocked and needling it opens that blockage but if the patient is new to acupuncture (or fearful or needle sensitive), the practitioner can work up to it so that it is not a big shock to the system.
There are a lot of other things you can do to get the benefits of Chinese medicine that do not require needles. Tui na (bodywork–it’s like a massage and similar to acupressure), cupping, gua sha (light scraping), moxibustion (heated herbal therapy), and so forth, do not employ needles and get you where you want to go in a healthy, holistic way.
Too long/didn’t read version: acupuncture doesn’t hurt and if you’re adamantly opposed to it due to needle fear, then try something else of the many wonderful Chinese medical modalities. Chinese medicine has lasted for thousands of years because it works.
Maybe it’s just a needle phobia or something. My husband will practically pass out any time he has to have blood drawn or get a shot. Like, has to lay down or he’ll faint kind of thing. It’s not about the pain, it’s about the needle or the procedure.
I truly understand the needle phobia aspect, no argument there. However, and this response is directed toward you, @Royalwatcher, and to @Humbugged, the needles are TINY. They are as slender as a thin hair. And in no way do they feel anything remotely like getting a shot, much less having blood drawn.
It’s better to go to an actual licensed acupuncturist rather than your local chiropractor or physical therapist if you are worried about pain though. An acupuncturist will have had at least 900 hours of supervised internship because being able to needle correctly is the sine qua non of the profession. Meantime, those who have suddenly taken up the cause of dry needling do a weekend seminar, maybe a little more, and some of it can even be online. I’d be scared to get needled by someone with minimal training relative to an acupuncturist. Plus, you’re missing out on the foundation of Chinese medicine–holistic health–if you do that.
But everyone has to figure it out for themselves. Some people fear all needles, big or small, and that’s just how it is. No reason to judge them for it.
Carry on, then!
🙂
It’s probably the needles themselves (me myself am phobic about the things ) that is putting him off.
I doubt it;s a fear of the alternative seeing who his dad is . Charles must be loving this version of Harry as this is his bag forever and probably one of the main reasons he seems to have taken to Meghan .I can imagine the
I think we’re kinda simplifying this reaction to needles and assigning it as a mental or emotional reaction when for many it’s really a physical reaction. It’s similar to those individuals who vomit simply at the sight of seeing vomit/seeing people be sick. Or for me and heights – if I’m up at a high distance and look down, I immediately feel dizzy and queasy, before I even realize I’m feeling fearful. My mind hasn’t even had time to process how high up I am or that I should be scared, but my body has already processed the sensory experience of the height that I’m at. It’s a visceral but not rational physical reaction, so no matter how small the needles may be (it’s good to know, though I don’t have a fear of needles, I’ve been toying with the idea of trying acupuncture and you’ve definitely convinced me!) your body is going to react before your mind can do anything. At least that’s been my experience and anecdotal evidence from talking to others about this.
If you opt to try acupuncture, do let your acupuncturist know that you are nervous of needles. Many people are, and that’s a cue for the acupuncturist to start with fewer needles, be sure to needle areas that don’t tend to hurt, and to be mindfully gentle. And, if you’re still nervous, try tui na (bodywork). Chinese medicine has something for everyone and it’s a shame that people think it’s only acupuncture.
There is no shame in being nervous of or having a physical knee-jerk response to needles, though–a lot of people are this way and many, once they do try acupuncture, love it. For others, it’s going to be bodywork or herbal treatment all the way because they just don’t love acupuncture. And that’s ok, too.
Chinese medicine is great for everyone–you just need to find your right modality and go with that.
I saw a neurosurgeon once, and he put a row of needles down my shin and ran an electric current through them. I was really surprised when I looked down and saw about 11 needles sticking out of my lower leg. I didn’t feel one of them go in.
It’s fine if he’s getting healthier, he may be encouraged by seeing her do it too. Shrug.
Bigger question is her coat flicking (video on youtube) showing off or not?
Unfrikking believable the badgering they are putting her through. They’re not going to be happy until she miscarries and then they’ll blame her for that too.
Acupuncture would probably be better for him than the juicing. The body can only absorb so many nutrients and then you just lose the excess in your urine. If you’re eating well there’s no need for it. It all sounds good though I can’t see a negative to it.
Wasn’t there something about her bringing her vitamix with her? If she uses a vitamix rather than a juicer – you only put what you could eat into the Vitamix. It’s not like a juicer where you push 5 apples through to get a glassful. With the vitamix, you toss in the parts you eat, keep all the fiber, and end up with a tasty drink that is as thick or thin as you want.
Anyway, do we really need to believe everything that Katie Nicholl writes? Most of his friends are married too, and so their lifestyles have also changed.
These lifestyle changes also fit in with both of his parents, Diana was into alternative healing (acupuncture, massage & aroma therapy), working out, didn’t drink much and Charles is into organic, plants, philosophy etc.
Pretty sure Charles is also into homeopathy.
So is the Queen. It is something passed down from the Queen Mother.
Expectant Father Stops Smoking. 33-Year-Old Decides to Stop Eating Junk. Sky Blue. Pope Catholic. Bear…well, you know.
🙂🐻
That was my thought too. He’s gotten married and expecting a child – he’s grown up. Shockingly, it does happen sometimes!
It’s been my experience that when men want something, they won’t stop until they get it. Harry rearranging his lifestyle to suit Meghan is typical of a man who is willing to do anything to get and keep his wife happy.
He might not be drinking tea or coffee right now. When I was pregnant both times I drank zero caffeine and the smell of coffee or tea would make me violently vomit, my entire pregnancies.
So I could see him giving up both for now. My husband did.
Now we drink coffee and tea by the gallons.
I gave up alcohol temporary (dry January and all that…and to take out some of the empty calories before my upcoming wedding) and have cut down on carbs and way down on processed sugar. I almost hate to admit it, but I do feel better. I have had chronic heartburn for years and I have had zero issues since I stopped drinking.
Losing weight while quitting smoking? Royals: not like us after all!
Ha! Witty!
Most things written or spoken by Katie Nicholl are figments of her imagination.
Meghan drinks tea, we saw her drinking peppermint tea in New Zealand, a few weeks ago at an event someone offered her tea, and she said yes to a herbal tea.
That make-up arist was not drinking tea by himself last week.
It all sounds positive. However I really hope they are seeing a real dietician with proper training and not some ‘goopy’ crackpot. With Meghan pregnant an ignorant ‘nutritionist’ could do damage.
Harry grew up. Military service and his relationship with Meghan matured him and his personality is a lot more serious than it was before. Of course the tabloids are making a big negative out of it saying that Meghan has made him more difficult and unlikeable. Feels like more throwing Harry under the bus type stiff while William and Kate get glowing stories in the tabs now.
They were both pictured drinking tea at their last joint engagement so they defo havent given that up. As for the rest of it, good on him for getting fit and healthy, who cares for the reasons behind it.
Harry has been focusing on his health for a few years now—-pre-dating Meghan even. Funny how now some (most) in the media and royal watchers are seeing it as Meghan “unmanning” him versus him making a series of independent, adult decisions—otherwise known as growing up! But that doesn’t play into the controlling, conniving and manipulative “Lady Macbeth” image they are forming for Meg. It would be funny if it wasn’t so fucking sexist, racist and just plain sad.
It is clear that many in the media never really expected or wanted Harry to mature. It doesn’t really fit his “rakish party lad” image. But this has been a process going on since late 2014 when the media began to report he was going out less and focusing on his diet and health more. He talked about having back issues previously. He has also mentioned having to give up some of his favorite foods in 2015 too, to some kids when they asked him. And Harry drank coffee during their day away in Birkenhead, so he clearly hasn’t given up caffeine despite reports.
Do Meghan and Harry truly move THAT much copy or drive THAT much click $$$$?? The number of articles about them, as a couple or individually, is even more than the height of Kate Mania. Truly don’t understand it.
Meghan is American. She drives much more US copy than Kate ever did. The British media are demonising her, which they always do for the wife of the spare (poor Sarah Ferguson, and even the Queen Mother back in the day when she was Duchess of York) but Meghan is pure gold for People, US Weekly, and even Vanity Fair.
Mark Darcy is dead!
I don’t buy it.
This sounds like a normal marriage of give and take and picking up habits of your partner. Still not seeing any red flags. I figured Harry would quit smoking and start living healthier and I doubt that will lead to any resentment.
Please want this marriage to fail so bad.
An awful lot of men need to be ‘whipped’ a certain amount. With food they take the easy route unless someone else does the thinking/prep for them. It often down to how much their mother did for them. It’s clear that Meghan is driven and focussed and if Harry didn’t like that about her he wouldn’t have married her. She probably does ‘boss’ him around and he probably likes it. Charles and William seem to need to be pandered to whereas the Queen often takes the lead from Phillip. Sophie seems to be the boss in the Wessex marriage. As long as they are all happy what does it matter. The only time it matters is if one of them is doing something that is harmful to the monarchy (or their children) and the less dominant partner can’t stop them. Looking at you DOE!!
Then why does he look so miserable and down in the dumps all the time?
Yep.
Harry’s lifetime party habits aren’t easy to kick. And if he stops partying he might lose all his friends. Does he have friends who don’t drink but do yoga and juicing?
And Meghan might get bored with her yoga-juicing no-friends husband who does everything she tells him to do.
Hmm. Guy who is notorious for hating the press and being almost over-protective of his wife doesn’t always look thrilled whenever he is seen in pictures taken by the press who has been on a months-long campaign against said wife.
He doesn’t look unhappy to me, but I agree about the hateful press. Then, add the fixated nutters posting threats online or sending them to KP and he definitely has cause for worry.
LOL @ the “he looks miserable all the time”.
People really do see only what they want to see. SMH.
So he’s basically American now?
No wonder he’s so grumpy!