Ahead of Prince Harry’s upcoming 40th birthday in just a few short weeks time, an old friend of the royal has claimed that the Duke 'spends most of his time thinking of the past' and pining for the love and affection of the British public he had received before stepping back from royal duties in 2020.

"He's an angry boy. Things haven't turned out how he wanted," the insider told The Times. "I think he misses being over here [in Britain] desperately and wants to be admired more. Anyone who knows him feels he'd rather be top of the pops here with everyone loving him, as they do with William and Kate.”

It’s this quiet nostalgia for his old life, that one royal expert has claimed made be “frustrating” for his wife Meghan Markle, as she urges him to look towards the future with their two children, instead of living in the past.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK!: "If Meghan is encouraging Harry to leave the past behind and move on, then I think it is a healthy move. They have made their decision, left the working royal family and left the UK.”

The Duke and Duchess made the difficult decision to step back from royal life back in 2020, when they relocated to California to raise their son Prince Archie, before later welcoming a daughter Princess Lilibet. Fast forward four years and the Prince even confirmed earlier this year that he was now officially a US resident.

"He says he now regards the USA as home — at least for the time being," Jennie continues. "Brooding on the perceived injustices of the past and re-living old quarrels is a waste of a life, and I think Meghan sees that."

However, Jennie also went on to offer an insight into why looking to the future may be “easier” for Meghan in the long run, as she doesn’t have the same long history with the royal family that harry does.

“It’s easy for her to look forward…ensconced as she is in a country and lifestyle she is so used to and clearly loves. But Harry has said he wants to be reunited with his family…so he is obviously going to think about what has happened and how they have come to this state of affairs,” she added.

"And that’s probably quite frustrating for Meghan…who seems to be at ease with estrangement from her own family. I don’t think Harry spends 'all' his time looking back….but the Harry I knew as a young boy was someone who enjoyed fooling around with his family and having fun with them.”

Harry’s relationship with his family, in particular brother Prince William and father King Charles has been increasingly strained in recent years following a number of bombshell revelations and claims made in his tell-all memoir Spare. 

In the book, he also reflected on some happier times with his loved ones, hinting at a bittersweet sense of melancholy for everything that had transpired between them. That said, Prince Harry has also been vocal in the past about his desire to reconcile with his family, particularly in the wake of both his father and sister in law Princess Kate’s cancer diagnoses earlier this year.