Prince Harry Wants A ‘Normal Life,’ Says His Friend Nacho Figueras

Prince Harry‘s good friend Nacho Figueras says that the Duke of Sussex has “suffered a lot” and just “wants a normal life,” People reports.

It’s been a few weeks since Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step down as senior members of the British royal family and split their time between the United Kingdom and Canada. Meghan has been in Canada with the couple’s son, Archie, for most of that time, while Harry just recently joined them.

Nacho is an Argentine polo player who has been one of Harry’s closest friends for years, sharing a love of the sport with Harry. Speaking to ABC for a new special, Royal Divide: Harry, Meghan, and the Crown, he said that, for the past few years, he’s watched his friend endure a lot of pain.

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

Figueras said that Harry’s decision to retire to Canada was informed by his desire for a “normal life.”

Of course, Harry’s life is going to be far from normal, Figueras admitted. He referenced an incident that took place earlier in January, as reported at the time by The Inquisitr, in which members of the paparazzi snapped photos of Meghan, baby Archie, and the family’s dogs out for a walk on Vancouver Island. Some of those photos appeared in the British media, and the Duchess sent a cease-and-desist letter to those publications, telling them to stop.

Figueras hinted that the paparazzi will likely be a problem for Harry and Meghan for some time.

“When you have 1,000 paparazzi outside your house in Canada waiting to get one picture of your son, that’s not very, very normal,” he said.

The paparazzi also bedeviled Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, and indeed, are believed by some to have played a role in her death, as she was fleeing from them during the fatal car crash that claimed her life back in 1997.

Figueras says that Diana would be proud of her son.

“He has become an incredible man, a man that his mother would be proud of,” he said.

It may have been Princess Diana who instilled in Harry a desire for normalcy — or as much as he could expect. Back when he and his brother, Prince William, were young boys, Diana made waves in royal circles by taking the boys out for visits to London on public transportation, or to theme parks like Walt Disney World.