Thoroughly modern Prince Harry makes ripples in the royal pond

We are now getting used to Prince Harry saying and doing things we don't expect from a Royal.

And I'm not referring to his more wild days in Las Vegas with too few clothes on.

His interviews in recent weeks have revealed a lot about the Prince.

They have given us an insight into things we didn't know before, like his admission he went into a very bad place after his mothers death.

He also made the revelation that he sought psychiatric help when he struggled to properly deal with his grief.

The Prince said he and his brother should not have been asked to walk behind their mother Diana's coffin. Credit: PA

Today, he appears to criticise a decision made by his father and grandfather 20 years ago.

When Princess Diana was killed in that car crash in Paris, Harry was only 12 years old. And in front of tens of thousand of people in London, and many millions more on television, he walked behind his mother's coffin.

You'll remember those scenes: the young Prince Harry walking next to his brother Prince William, his uncle Charles Spencer, the Prince of Wales and Duke of Edinburgh.

Now Harry has told US magazine Newsweek, "I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances."

He adds: "I don't think it would happen today."

Harry has opened up in interviews over the past few weeks. Credit: PA

They are words which have rather left Kensington Palace on the defensive.

This thoroughly modern Royal suddenly appears to be at odds with the traditions of the royal household in which he grew up.

Kensington Palace denies Prince Harry is criticising other members of his family, but suggests they are simply his reflections on how attitudes to grief have changed in 20 years.

The other interesting line from Prince Harry's chat with Newsweek is his admission that no-one in the family wants to be King or Queen.

Which is another interesting admission.

Prince Harry said no one in the Royal family relishes the though of becoming monarch. Credit: PA

Harry is fifth in line to the throne and his father and brother will both inherit the crown at some point in their lives.

His exact words are these: "Is there any one of the Royal Family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so".

His aides suggest he is simply reflecting reality: he is highly unlikely to ever be the Head of State and that no Royal Family member is motivated by position - only service.

Prince Harry's words have caused a few ripples in the royal pond.

But that's what makes him, right now, the most interesting member of the Royal Family.