Life Lessons from a Real Prince & a Princess of Pop
It was a couple years back now, but 2023 was a big year for biographies. Among others, that year I read both “Spare” by Prince Harry and “The Woman In Me” by Britney Spears. I took at least a full page of notes from both stories and gleaned some surprisingly similar life lessons that I want to share with you as we close out 2025.
Before reading “Spare” I had previously read Harry and Meghan’s book called “Finding Freedom” which came out in 2020. “Finding Freedom” was not written by Harry and Meghan directly and was released with permission when they were still working members of the royal family. It was very interesting to go from that very much controlled narrative to the deeply personal narrative of Harry’s own words.
Funny enough, the story I remember the most from “Spare” is a wild account of when Harry went on a high adventure climb under extremely cold conditions. The one area of his body that he didn’t properly layer up concerned his private parts, which he claims to have actually gotten real frostbite damage on! I have three boys who go on a cold weather camp out every year. Loudy reminding them all that even a prince can find himself under prepared for cold weather is my new favorite way of sending them off on their annual adventure! Beyond the dangers of frostbite, Harry’s story illustrates impactful lessons for any life, royal or otherwise.
First and foremost, you have to work.
It would have been so easy for Harry not to work. For him to simply be a prince. The same thing can be said for trust fund babies or even for myself at this point in our lives. But an easy life is not a fulfilled life. It is so important that in addition to whatever monetary value your work might bring in, that you find a job that contributes to your fulfillment. If you can’t identify a purpose in your life, then when something traumatic happens and you need work to keep you moving, you will find yourself in a real existential crisis. This is what happened to Harry and it was his father Charles who told him “without work, everything crumbles."
Now, don’t hear what I’m not saying. I am not saying to bury yourself in work as a way to hide from your past. I am saying to make good use of your discontent. Find the thing that brings you a sense of purpose now, so that you have that life jacket when life throws you overboard.
Second, you have to serve.
Anyone paying attention can see that something both Harry’s mum Diana and his wife Meghan illustrate beautifully is serving others. Just like you should find a work situation that helps fulfill you, it’s also important to find an outlet for serving others. We must be careful not to confuse the two! I wholeheartedly believe that you need both to feel whole. You need something you can work towards that comes with some kind of personal reward AND a place you can serve that comes with zero rewards except that of simply doing good. Meghan’s plan for what their life would look like after leaving the royal family is a plan I think we can all follow: “Help people, do some good, be free.”
And finally, you have to process the past.
This final lesson is where I really see similarities between Harry and Britney. Theirs are both cautionary tales of what happens if you don’t properly process past grief. Britney’s story is a constant cycle of trauma and loss. There are so many moments where what she really needed from those around her was love and support and therapy - not the responsibility of being the breadwinner for an entire family. At one point Britney explains the feeling of wanting to hide but to be seen at the same time. Meaning she wanted a break from being in the spotlight but also to be heard in her relationships. I feel as though that’s something Harry could relate to and maybe you can too? Maybe we all can to some degree.
Harry says in his book that “a helicopter is easily mastered, but the head takes more time and patience.” Even if you did not have a famously traumatic childhood or early adulthood, you probably do have some things in your past that are worth discussing with a professional. Even just gaining language to tell those stories is well worth it.
My end of year wish for you is that you process any hurt or wrongdoing from this past year and leave it behind. After December 31st, don’t give any of it another thought. Move into 2026 with all the wisdom and don’t forget to leave room for magic!
XO - Olivia
