How Fatherhood Drives Prince Harry to Be a Determined Dad
“Being a dad is one of life's greatest joys.”
If there's one thing you know about me, it's that I love fatherhood. If there's a second thing you know about me, it's that I love Santa Barbara. (Okay, I also love basketball, ice cream, dogs, and Christmas movies, so I guess there are a lot of second things you may know about me.)
Whenever I come home from Santa Barbara, a common question I get is, "Did you run into Harry and Meghan?" I love this question because the connotation is typically that people feel like Allie and I would be friends with Harry and Meghan. Unfortunately, my answer is always no.
Harry seems like a great guy. There's a whole royal element that I've certainly never understood, but when I've heard the man speak or read his work, Harry seems like a deeply empathetic person trying to understand the world at a deeper level. That's my kind of people. That's my kind of fatherhood.
Recently, Harry attended the Upfront Summit in Los Angeles, which hosts more than 1,000 top investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders for an invitation-only event in Los Angeles.
Looking at the past speakers, the event is a who's who of people I will likely never be around, but its website makes it clear that its audience is filled with some of the most influential people in American society.
Apparently, Harry's attendance was an unannounced surprise for this event, shocking the crowd once they heard his name.
But while on stage, Harry promised he had something important to say.
"I'm here to talk about something that I believe will resonate with all of you as leaders, creators, builders, and changemakers: How do we invest in our shared future to solve the challenges we face today as a divided society?"
"As a dad, this has me constantly looking for solutions. As a man who was born into a life of service, I recognize that with power and a platform comes responsibility," he continued. "And these days, I am determined to find and invest in solutions."
It's funny how fatherhood puts life in a completely different perspective.
It doesn't matter your net worth or class; looking at your kids and seeing how they perceive the world around them can enhance your vision of the same world. A scoop of ice cream suddenly tastes sweeter by their side. A routine beach trip feels like the book's best part.
There's no denying the privileges Harry and Meghan enjoy. If asked, they would tell you the same thing. But humans are humans. Kids are kids. Wealth or not, going through the heartache that both have endured from an early age should elicit empathy, as nobody on earth should have to deal with life's worst moments so publicly.
While understandably guarded about his family, this isn't the first time Harry has spoken about fatherhood. In 2024, Harper's Bazaar published a piece titled Prince Harry Says Being a Father Is "One of Life's Greatest Joys."
"Becoming a father of two incredibly kind and funny kids has given me a fresh perspective on life, as well as sharpening my focus in all my work," he said. "Being a dad is one of life's greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place."
Fatherhood is overwhelming. Add to that a world that struggles to uplift the same values we teach at home, and finding joy in being a dad can be a struggle. But from "Nigeria to Nepal, and from Sydney to Santa Barbara," we dads need to show up every day to build a better world for our little ones, using every ounce of our influence to take steps in the right direction, whether that's speaking to an audience of influential people or playing Junior Monopoly with our kids at home.
Dads come in all shapes and sizes, as unique as each wave in the ocean, but our common denominator is a shared responsibility to lift up our communities and build a better future for those who call us dads.
