Prince Harry reveals secret supermarket meeting with Meghan

Prince Harry has spoken about the extent to which he and Meghan tried to keep their burgeoning relationship under wraps, how it felt to grow up in the media spotlight and his new life in the US.

The Duke of Sussex was talking to actor Dax Shepard, host of the “Armchair Expert” podcast, in an episode released Thursday.

He discussed “going wild” in his early twenties, partying and outlined his inner monologue as he struggled with the responsibilities of being a member of the royal family.

“I don’t want this job, I don’t want to be here, I don’t want to be doing this, look what it did to my mum,” Harry recalled thinking.

He also talked about the media in the UK. “It’s a mix between ‘the Truman Show’ and being in a zoo,” he said, referencing the 1998 Jim Carrey film in which the main character has no idea he is living on a giant TV set where his every move is recorded.

Harry recalled how the attention affected the early stages of his relationship with Meghan.

“The first time that Meghan and I met up for her to come and stay with me we met up in a supermarket in London pretending as though we didn’t know each other,” he said, recounting how he wore a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes to avoid being recognized.

While criticizing the behavior of some media outlets in the US, Harry did say the situation has improved for him and his family since they moved to California.

It was announced in February that Harry and Meghan would not be returning as working members of the British royal family, after stepping back from royal duties last year.

“Living here now I can actually lift my head and actually I feel different… you can walk around feeling a little bit more free,” he said.

“I get to take Archie on the back of my bicycle… I would never have had the chance to do that.”

During the podcast, Harry went on to discuss changing attitudes towards mental health in society.

“Speaking out, especially now in today’s world, is a sign of strength rather than a sign of weakness,” he said, before making a case that mental health is in fact public health.

“Two of the biggest issues that we’re facing in today’s world, I think, is the climate crisis and mental health, and they’re both intrinsically linked,” he said.

“If we neglect our collective well-being, then we’re screwed, basically, because if we can’t look after ourselves, we can’t look after each other. If we can’t look after each other then we can’t look after this home that we all inhabit, so it’s all part of the same thing.”

Harry has been working on a multi-part documentary series called “The Me You Can’t See” with Oprah Winfrey, which aims to help lift the veil on the current state of mental health and emotional well-being.

The series, which will feature high-profile guests, will premiere May 21 on Apple TV+.