I’d be willing to bet there aren’t many amongst us who can hold their hands up and say they’ve never had a falling out with their family. Unless you’re a saint, or a very good liar, I wouldn’t believe you if you said you’ve never so much as had a wee tiff or snapped at a sibling or a parent, or ended up in a row over the dinner table. Certainly, family relationships can often be frustrating and complicated. They're also a big part of the making of us – you won’t need to have studied Freud to know that much. You could fill whole libraries with literature on how our home dynamic can shape our personalities, principles, ambitions and relationships in later life.

Luckily for most of us, though, our family bust ups won’t be broadcasted by the global media, and scrutinised on every TV talk show and internet comment section the world over. Unluckily for Harry Windsor, and his not-so long but most certainly suffering wife Meghan, this is a reality of family life. In Harry’s case, the dynamic he was born into has most definitely dictated a huge portion of his life and choices. In fact, ever since he was born, his entire existence has been nothing short of public property. Every moment of his childhood, adolescence and growth into adulthood has been well documented by the media, right from the day he left the Lindo Wing in his mother’s arms to be greeted by dozens of photographers.

Just last year, he and Meghan faced a barrage of backlash from the very same media when they decided not to endure the same ritual following the birth of their own baby, Archie. In fact, from the get go of revealing their romance, eyebrows were raised and tongues began to wag across the country. The world questioned whether a beau that was not of a similarly British background to the Prince, and an actress no less, would be a worthy addition to the Royal clan. Headlines ran rife with claims that Meghan had become an outcast and a misfit amongst her in-laws, with reasons cited as being everything from the colour she painted her nails to the way she closed car doors. And you thought your in-laws were bad?

While neither Harry nor Meghan may be the most relatable of characters to the average Joe, as noted earlier, there are very few of us who don’t know what it’s like to butt heads with blood relatives. The vast majority of us will likely also be able to empathise with the drudgery, dread and disappointment that can come with trying to win the approval of our family. Whether their expectations are of how we should behave, who we should love, how much money we should be making or what we should have achieved, it’s a near universal experience to have felt that we need to do or be a certain way in order to make those we love most proud. And those of us who have ever desired to reject what’s expected of us and go our own way will also know the outrageous amount of courage it can take to actually take action and go against the grain.

Such is the predicament Harry and Meghan have clearly found themselves in. Though as the saying goes, the apple never falls too far from the tree. It shouldn’t come as too much of a shock to us all that the son of Princess Diana, who was famous for often ending up in trouble for doing things a little differently, should be cut from the same cloth. Of course, his mother’s tragic story is a prime example of just how out of control the media attention can get and the price that can be paid as a result. Prince Harry said himself in a recent documentary on he and Meghan’s tour of South Africa, that he intended to act to ensure the same fate would not befall his own wife and family. For most of us, the pressure to bring pride to the family name at least doesn’t cost us our privacy and security. Harry had to act out his grief in the face of the world aged just ten, and watch the people closest to him be torn apart in the media. Is it any wonder he would want to try a change?

Whether your blood is royal or regular, there comes a time for all of us when we must stand on our own two feet and carve out a life for ourselves. And while putting family first is often commendable, setting yourself on fire to keep someone else warm will only end up burning everyone involved. Personally, I wish Harry and Meghan all the best in the pursuit of their own definition of a happy family. It’s an example to us all that we don’t have to let the background we were born into set the scene for our future. We all have the power to create a new path, to follow our hearts, and to carve out something new. Just maybe, away from tiaras and traditions, this Prince and Princess will find their happily ever after!