The eco-conscious habit Prince Harry and Prince William picked up from King Charles

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published 20 November 2022

We all pick up some of the habits held by our parents and Prince William and Prince Harry are no different.

Prince Harry and Prince William have revealed the household habit their father, King Charles, drilled into them when they were younger.
The pair have continued the habit into adulthood with Prince Harry admitting that Meghan Markle finds it baffling.
In other royal news, Prince Harry planned to step back from the Royal Family as early as 2018, claims royal biographer.

One of a parent's most important roles is to teach their children skills and pass down the useful habits that will allow them to succeed as adults. In a royal household, those skills may be slightly different to the ones taught by the average parent, but it appears that at least one habit Princes Harry and William picked up from their father is relatable.

Prince Harry mentioned one of the eco-conscious habits that he's picked up from King Charles in a documentary about his father several years ago, with Prince William admitting he also did it.

The habit? The family are obsessed with turning off lights.

King Charles with Prince Harry and Prince William

Speaking about his dad, the then Prince Charles, in the documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, Harry revealed, "He's a stickler for turning lights off and that's now something that I'm obsessed with as well, which is insane because actually, my wife goes 'Well, why turn the lights off? You know it's dark'.

"I go 'we only need one light, we don't need like six', and all of a sudden, it becomes a habit and those small habit changes he's making, every single person can do. And I think that's one of the key lessons certainly that I felt that he taught us."

William was quick to agree with his brother, adding, "I know I've got serious OCD on light switches now which is terrible."

With Prince Harry and King Charles' relationship now at “near rock bottom” according to The Sun, to think about the Prince continuing to follow through with habits given to him by his father is a heartwarming and hopeful sentiment.

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.