Prince Harry’s cutting response to Jane Goodall meeting his son

She became renowned around the world for her impeccable expertise in the world of anthropology and groundbreaking work with chimpanzees. 

But when the late Dr Jane Goodall met Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s then newborn son Prince Archie in May 2019, she received a rather tart response from the Sussexes that may have been an early indication of their upcoming royal exit.

Dr Goodall, considered one of the world’s most distinguished conservationists, died aged 91 of natural causes on Wednesday, October 1.

Following the announcement of her passing, Meghan and Harry paid tribute to the acclaimed primatologist, describing her as a ‘visionary humanitarian’ who was ‘a friend to the planet and a friend to us’.

‘Her commitment to changing lives extends beyond what the world saw, and also to what we personally felt,’ they said in a statement.

‘She held our son, Archie, when he was first born, and showered love and care to those who were privileged to know her. She will be deeply missed.’

But a frosty interaction between the Sussexes and Dr Goodall when she held Archie for the first time may have been a subtle indication of their desire to leave the royal household.

In his book, Battle of the Brothers, royal historian Robert Lacey revealed how Dr Goodall had paid the Royal couple a visit at their family home, Frogmore Cottage, just days after the young prince was born.

Harry conducted a landmark interview with the natural science’s expert as part of his contribution for Meghan’s September edition of British Vogue, titled ‘Forces for CHANGE’. 

Less of an interview and more of a conversation, their chat revealed almost as much about the interviewer as it did the interviewee – with Harry sharing that both him and Meghan would only have two children in a bid to help save the planet. 

The statement garnered a mixed response, with several critics pointing towards the Sussexes frequent use of private jets and global travel as somewhat of a contradiction. 

Then, as Lacey recounts, Meghan entered the room as the interview was drawing to a close.

He writes: ‘She was holding the newborn Archie tenderly in her arms and she offered the baby to the 85-year-old Goodall for a cuddle’.

Recalling the meeting herself, Dr Goodall revealed that she was ‘one of the first’ to give the newborn prince a cuddle, aside from family members.

She added: ‘I made Archie do “the Queen’s wave”, saying “I suppose he’ll have to learn this”.

But Harry seemed far from impressed by Dr Goodall’s words – quickly responding: “No! He’s not growing up like that!”.’

A seeming indication of what was to come – it was just eight months later, in January 2020, that Harry and Meghan announced their plans to step back from as senior members of the Royal family.

In an extraordinary statement, the Duke and Duchess insisted they wished to ‘carve out a progressive new role’ and hoped to balance their time between the UK and North America. 

But in Harry’s explosive memoir Spare, it was made clear in searing detail that Prince Harry had often felt great unhappiness while serving as a member of the Royal Family.

In April 2020, shortly after Meghan and Harry withdrew from royal duties, Dr Goodall revealed that she had ‘been in touch’ with the prince and that he had been finding life ‘a bit challenging’. 

Speaking to Radio Times, she said: ‘I don’t know how his career is going to map out, but, yes, I’ve been in touch – though I think he’s finding life a bit challenging right now.’

Dr Goodall also previously described both her and Harry as having ‘many things in common’, sharing a friendship based on a mutual concern for the environment. 

When the pair first met in 2018, they shared an impromptu dance, with the beloved conservationist even teaching the Duke a ‘Chimpanzee greeting.

Baby Archie was presented to the world two days after his birth at a press briefing at St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle.

Perhaps a further indication of the couple’s departure from royal tradition –  they chose not to use the courtesy title Earl Dumbarton, which Archie was allowed to use, nor to style him Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, opting for plain ‘Master’ instead.

The young prince was christened at an intimate ceremony attended by close family in July. 

 While royal baptisms are traditionally private, Harry and Meghan went one step further by going against convention and deciding not to announce Archie’s godparents, with the couple facing criticism from some quarters. 

In 2017, even before meeting Meghan, the Mail on Sunday revealed that Harry had confided he ‘wanted out’ of the Royal Family and yearned for an ‘ordinary life’.

During an extraordinarily candid interview with journalist and author Angela Levin, the then 32-year-old Harry spoke about his struggles to find a meaningful role for himself at the heart of what he called the ‘goldfish bowl’ of royal life and admitted he had come close to a breakdown on several occasions.’

Making it clear he was primarily motivated by his loyalty to the late Queen, he added: ‘I spent many years kicking my heels and I didn’t want to grow up. I felt I wanted out, but then decided to stay in and work out a role for myself.’

Poignantly, Harry also revealed his view that the monarchy would have to change once his grandmother passed away – a transformative event that would unfold just over five years after that interview, in September 2022 – as well as his astonishing assertion that ‘no one in the Royal Family wants to be King or Queen’.

Making it clear that Harry was already keen to carve out his own path, he added: ‘I am determined to have a relatively normal life and if I am lucky enough to have children they can have one too.

‘We don’t want to be just a bunch of celebrities, but instead use our role for good.’ 

The Jane Goodall Institute announced Dr Goodall’s passing on October 1 in a statement that read: ‘The Jane Goodall Institute learned this morning, Wednesday 1 October 2025, that Dr Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away from natural causes. 

‘She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States. 

‘Dr Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist transformed science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of the natural world.’

Dr Goodall became widely known for her groundbreaking work with Chimpanzees, which began when she travelled to the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960.

Seventeen years later she founded the Jane Goodall Institute to support research in the Gombe park. It works to protect the species and supports youth projects aimed at benefiting animals and the environment.

An unorthodox approach to primatology became the key to her success. Instead of numbering the chimpanzees she studied, she gave them affectionate names such as Fifi and David Greybeard.

Distinguishing herself from other researchers also enabled her to develop a close bond with the chimpanzees and to become, to this day, the only human to have ever been accepted into chimpanzee society.

In 2004, she was awarded a damehood and was invested by the then-Prince of Wales, now King, at Buckingham Palace.

The award served as a recognition of her pioneering ethologist and conservationist work, particularly her decades of groundbreaking research on chimpanzees.