Prince Harry once overheard people ‘debating’ if he was gay: ‘I was tempted to tap them on the shoulder’
Imagine bumping into Prince Harry in a supermarket!
Prince Harry has reflected on overhearing members of the public “debate” his life, including whether or not he is gay.
The 36-year-old, married to Meghan Markle, says he often overheard such conversations while waiting in line in the supermarket.
Prince Harry recounts the experiences in his newly-released memoir, Spare.
In it, he also details how he was tempted to respond to speculation about his sexuality.
“I was always tempted to tap them on the shoulder”
“More than once I watched customers read about me, overheard them debating me,” recalls Prince Harry.
“In 2015 I overheard them frequently discussing whether or not I’d ever marry. Whether ot not I was happy. Whether or not I might be gay.
“I was always tempted to tap them on the shoulder… ‘Ello.”
He goes on to describe calling out an elderly couple for heatedly discussing his life choices with a cashier.
“I stepped forward, showed my face, cleared my throat: ‘Excuse me. Not sure what’s going on here, but I don’t think you should be speaking to her like that.'”
This week, publisher Transworld Penguin Random House said the book is the fastest-selling piece of non-fiction ever, with 400k sales.
“I told him there were a couple of soldiers outside who weren’t very happy with the fact I was gay”
In 2020, gay solider James Wharton discussed serving in the army alongside Prince Harry.
“He could see I was clearly affected by something and he asked me what the problem was,” Wharton said, recalling how Prince Harry defended him from anti-gay bullies.
Speaking to Forces News, Wharton continued: “So I told him there were a couple of soldiers outside who weren’t very happy with the fact I was gay.
“So, quite offended that his gunner was being picked on by these people, Prince Harry went out and saw those soliders and spoke to them, and the problem went away.”
“He told them off, and they left me alone,” Wharton furthermore added.
In 2017, Prince Harry has accepted the Legacy Award at The Virgin Holidays Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar, on behalf of his late mother Princess Diana, for her groundbreaking HIV/Aids activism.