The Prince's Secret (Prince Harry Fanfic)

Part 1 - Do The Right Thing

****AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello awesome readers! I've changed the name of Harry's American actress fiancee to Meg Moran. Many thanks for all your amazing support. <3****

His Royal Highness Prince Harry of Wales

July 2017

I didn't really plan to take my girlfriend Meg to Botswana with me, but her birthday was coming up and she hinted pretty strongly that it would be a nice birthday present. It would be good to have a few weeks alone together, hopefully without any intrusions from the press. I'm pretty sure she was also hoping her birthday celebration would include an engagement ring.

The press were after us like hounds on the scent. They—and the public—wanted Meg and I to get engaged soon.

My grandmother the Queen wanted me to get married years ago. I think she had her fingers crossed hoping Meg was The One.

Everyone was crazy for another royal love story, another royal wedding. Everyone wanted another Happily Ever After.

I wanted—

—well, it didn't much matter what I wanted, did it?

Dad and Granny were patient with me, but they thought it was time for me to settle down.

Sometimes the thought of settling down drove me crazy. I didn't want to settle. I wanted to be wild and crazy and free. I wanted to travel without any press watching me. I wanted to walk out of my house in jeans and slippers to get the bloody paper, with my hair stuck up on all sides, and not worry about what anyone thought.

But I couldn't. I could have a lot of things, but freedom—that was not something I could have.

And Meg—

I knew she loved me. I knew she wanted to marry me. She was also getting just a tiny bit impatient and beginning to be a little clingy.

I mean, when I looked at the situation objectively, Meg checked off a lot of the right boxes. She was beautiful. As an actress she knew what it was like to live in the public eye. My gran liked her.

Bloody hell.

"You have to think about who you are," Dad said to me once when I'd been caught out doing something stupid and made the cover of the tabloids again. "You're not the baker's boy. You're a Windsor. You're a prince. And you have a duty to this country and to your family to do the right thing. And it won't necessarily be what Harry wants."

And I supposed—when it came down to it—I would do the right thing.