Prince Harry Opens Up About Ensuring Archie Has A Future Full Of "Opportunity"

Parenthood has a way of crystallizing a person's focus, royal parent or otherwise, particularly during these trying and frightening times. For instance, in a recent letter to one of his charitable organizations, Prince Harry noted he felt "pressure" to give Archie a future full of "opportunity" as the world continues to grapple with an "extinction crisis" and a global health pandemic.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are currently living in Los Angeles with their 1-year-old son Archie, but the Duke of Sussex has always had a soft spot in his heart for Africa. As president of African Parks, Prince Harry recently wrote a foreword for the organization's annual report about the importance of conservation and noted that feels even more strongly now that he has become a father.

"Since becoming a father, I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, a future that hasn't been taken from them, and a future full of possibility and opportunity," Prince Harry wrote. "I want us all to be able to tell our children that yes, we saw this coming, and with the determination and help from an extraordinary group of committed individuals, we did what was needed to restore these essential ecosystems."

"We are currently living through an extinction crisis and now a global pandemic that has shaken us to our core and brought the world to a standstill," Prince Harry's letter continued. "On the extinction crisis the science is clear; we have perhaps a decade to course correct before we lock in our fate. On this pandemic, while much is still unknown, some evidence suggests that the virus' origins may be linked to our exploitation of nature. The gravity of these challenges is coming to light, but we must not be paralysed by them."

Prince Harry's life has changed dramatically since welcoming Archie in May 2019; he and Markle stepped away from their royal roles in January and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where they are currently self-isolating with their little boy and enjoying a more private life.

Before he left his royal life behind, however, he opened up about wanting to be a good role model for his son. Last July, he spoke about Archie at the Diana Award National Youth Mentoring Summit in London, admitting that fatherhood had changed the way he looked at the world "perhaps it's the newfound clarity I have as a father, knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behavior, one day maybe even following in my footsteps."

Parenting changes a person, and in Prince Harry's case it appears as though fatherhood has sharpened his purpose. As he wrote in his foreword, he wants to give his son a future full of "opportunity." And he is working hard to make sure that happens.