Prince Harry: I almost abandoned Royal duties but stayed because of the Queen

Prince Harry has revealed he once considered leaving the Royal Family in favour of an ordinary life.

"There was a time I felt I wanted out," the Prince said, speaking candidly about the monarchy and his views on his royal duties.

Referring to the Monarchy as "The Firm", he said: "But then I decided to stay in [The Firm] and work out a role for myself."

The Prince revealed he had come close to a break down a number of times in the past, but was now determined to use his royal role as a force for good.

The Prince said he disliked aspects of life in the public eye but was now determined to lead a relatively normal existence.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, the Prince said he had been motivated to continue his Royal duties by his grandmother, the Queen.

He explained that he decided to focus his efforts as a member of the Royal family on charity work, taking inspiration from his late mother Diana.

Harry said that himself and Prince William were "incredibly" passionate about their charities and had selected them carefully "because they are on the path shown to me by our mother".

He said he had felt most at ease during his ten years in the army and was resentful that he had to leave Afghanistan when news of his position was leaked. 

Prince Harry also admitted he enjoyed watching the Netflix series The Crown, the award-winning drama chronicling the life of the Queen. 

However, he warned that it should have "stopped" after the first series, which ends with the Queen as a young woman, and not move on to the younger generation. 

Discussing the monarchy's future, the Prince said the institution remained necessary in the modern world but would have to change from its current format.