Prince Harry 'Longs for Old Pals' After Relocating to California

Prince Harry walked away from his royal status in the U.K. to live with his wife, Meghan Markle, in Montecito, Calif. Although the Duke of Sussex fled England due to his ongoing safety concerns, royal expert Mark Boardman thinks he misses his pals.

Earlier this year, Harry and Meghan were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, and the loss of the property shifted how the veteran spends time in his home country.

"He appears to have distanced himself from his college friends and lacks a permanent U.K. residence," Boardman told an outlet. "During his visits to London, he typically resides in hotels and avoids public appearances. Undoubtedly, Prince Harry longs for his old friendships."

Harry wants to visit his fellow Eton College alumni more frequently, but Meghan hopes he will accept his new reality in America.

"Meghan loves Harry, but she wants to bring out the better side in him. And she’s quite clear on the roles that they should take together and they are trying to work better together on projects," Boardman added.

Harry attended the prestigious institution from 1998 to 2003, and the controversial figure built long-lasting connections during his years there. However, biographer Tom Quinn interviewed his former cronies for Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, where they painted a different picture.

Quinn claimed Harry's circle changed years before his 2020 "Megxit" scandal.

"He was funny, a bit cynical and great company because, like the rest of us, he made jokes that we are no longer allowed to make," the source told Quinn. "After Meghan came along, he changed completely into what he would once have been the first to mock: a sort of Guardian-reading tree-hugger. It was all Meghan’s influence."

The prince was excited to introduce his loved ones to the Suits star, but his bride didn't enjoy his buddies.

"Harry wanted her to meet his friends. It never occurred to him that she might think they were awful, that they would make racist jokes," the documenter admitted. "Harry once famously went to a party dressed up as a Nazi. They wouldn’t think anything of that because they never worried about that sort of thing."

With Harry's history of wearing an insensitive costume and being seen as antisemitic, his clique was surprised by Meghan's commitment to antiracism.

"They thought that kind of thing would mean you were left-wing and a tree-hugger. They didn’t think it was terrible to make racist jokes," Quinn wrote.

"I think they were really shocked," Quinn continued. "Meghan spent the day apparently telling them that they couldn’t make these awful jokes... But I think Harry’s world was very split. And Meghan is a very powerful personality. Everyone says it."

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Meghan even exposed Harry to new concepts, but it altered how he connected with his companions.

"I think by adopting completely Meghan’s view of the world, I think it made it much more difficult for him, certainly in his relationships with other members of the royal family," the author explained. "It created this huge split. He feels completely removed from his old life."

Boardman spoke to OK! U.K.