Prince Harry Says Meghan Markle Calls Him Out for Turning Off All of the Lights in Their House

In the new documentary, Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, Prince Harry talks about learning environmentalism from his father, Prince Charles. The royal says his wife, Meghan Markle, calls him out for constantly turning off all the lights in their home.

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If marriage vows were practical, they'd ask people if they promise to love their partner in spite of their weird, sometimes downright annoying habits. Sure, we all promise to love each other in sickness and in health, but what about in "sitting around in the dark all the damn time because your husband is obsessed with conserving electricity"?

That one could have been in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding vows, specifically, because it's apparently a real relationship struggle they deal with. In the new documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70which aired on BBC One last week, Harry revealed that he picked up at least one persistent habit from his dad: Turning out the lights at home.

"He’s a stickler for turning lights off," Harry explained. "And that’s now something that I’m obsessed with as well."

Now, this quirky practice is for a good cause: saving the environment. Charles, who is an avid environmentalist, passed the "small habit" down to both of his sons, apparently, because after Harry revealed his obsessive need to turn off lights, Prince William chimed in that he does the same thing.

"I know, I’ve got serious OCD on light switches now, which is terrible," Will added.

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Poor Harry, probably distraught about that lamp that’s on.

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Someone who doesn't yet share Harry's attitude about minimalist lighting? His new wife, Meghan Markle.

"Which is insane because—I don’t know whether your wife doesn’t—my wife certainly 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,'" he said to Will, laughing.

Even if it annoys (or even just confuses) Meghan a little, Harry's heart is definitely in the right place with this one.

"All of a sudden it becomes a habit and those small habit changes he’s making, every single person can do," he explained. "And I think it’s one of the key lessons that [Prince Charles] taught us."

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Kayleigh Roberts
Weekend Editor

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.