Prince Harry Says He Never Wanted to Be a Working Royal

Prince Harry is sticking it to his royal family once again ... telling fans in Australia he decided he never wanted to be a working royal after his mom, Princess Diana, died in a car crash following a high-speed paparazzi chase in 1997.

He and wife Meghan Markle are currently touring Australia, and he made the comments during the professional development InterEdge Summit in Melbourne. He told attendees he felt "lost, betrayed, or completely powerless" during his life and "stuck my head in the sand for years" doing as he was told until one day he realized he didn't have to.

Harry explained ... "After my mum died just before my 13th birthday I was like, 'I don't want this job. I don't want this role wherever this is headed, I don't like it.'" He added ... "It killed my mum, and I was very much against it."

Then, after much reflection, he realized he could use his platform to make a difference in his own way ... and he set off to do just that.

Meanwhile, Meghan, who quit Hollywood to marry the prince in 2018, stuck to her usual talking points about the dangers of social media and her own experiences with online bullying while visiting Melbourne's Swinburne University of Technology ahead of the summit.

She told listeners ... "For now, ten years, every day for ten years, I have been bullied and attacked. And I was the most trolled person in the entire world." She triumphantly added, "I'm still here."

As you know, Harry and Meghan took a step back from their senior roles within the British royal family back in 2020 before picking up and moving to Los Angeles, completely ditching their family duties.

They've continued supporting organizations and advocating for issues close to their hearts, while also pulling back the curtains a bit into the lives of King Charles III, Prince William and Kate Middleton through their 2022 documentary "Harry & Meghan" and Harry's 2023 memoir, "Spare."