Prince Harry talks on his role as British royal

Prince Harry (L) of Britain reacts during his visit to the Friends of Jesus Foundation, in Santiago, capital of Chile, on June 29, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

LONDON - He's the world's most eligible bachelor, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and son of the late Princess Diana, and he spoke candidly Sunday of his struggle to combine his role as a British royal with a job and a private life.

Prince Harry, younger brother of future king Prince William, was speaking on the day the Invictus Games for military personnel injured in action gets under way in Florida.

A thirtysomething single with no full-time "proper" job, Prince Harry has followed in the footsteps of his mother by engaging in charity work, promoting causes dear to Princess Diana's heart, such as HIV and mental illness.

"I don't specifically channel myself down certain avenues because I think mum would be proud. But she sure as hell would be proud of me, hopefully, that I am doing it," he says in an interview today with the Sunday Times.

His 10-year service in the military helped shrug off the image in some sections of the media of him being a playboy prince.

Harry talks candidly of the "massive paranoia that sits inside me" about any girl he speaks to in public must endure.

"If and when I do find a girlfriend I will do my upmost to ensure me and her can get to the point where we're actually comfortable with each other before the massive invasion that is inevitably to happen into her privacy.

"The other concern is that even if I talk to a girl, that girl is suddenly my wife, and people go knocking on her door."

Speaking of the kind of life most people take for granted Harry says: "When people finish work in the City or wherever work is, if you want to have a bit of down time, you might go to the pub with your mates. I do that less because it's not downtime for me. I don't know who I am going to bump into, I don't know if someone's going to try and grab a 'selfie'. I don't know who's going to be waiting outside. So there is very little private life."

His late mother was pursued relentlessly by the media paparazzi.

Talking about his future, Harry adds: "I'm not putting work before the idea of a family, marriage and all that kind of stuff. To be fair I haven't had that many opportunities to get out there and meet people. At the moment my focus is very much on work. But if someone slips into my life then that's absolutely fantastic."

He is also acutely aware of the image of the so-called young royals and the parts they play in society.

"I don't get any satisfaction from sitting at home on my arse, and that's a body part by the way not a swear word."

The difficulty he has with job hunting, is finding work that can combine with his duties as a leading royal, he adds.

"The reality is that most of the areas I looked at just simply weren't going to work. Some jobs are simply not on the table."

As fifth in line to the British throne, Harry is also aware that as his 90-year old grandmother starts to slow down, there will be more royal duties for him.

He recognizes he needs to earn more respect from a lot more people, but adds: "What you see is what you get with me. It's genuine. I will always try and bring an element of fun and happiness to everything I do. That probably is subconsciously very much part of my mother, trying to fill that void. Trying to fill an unbelievable pair of boots, whether it's her (Princess Diana) or especially the Queen. It's a hard thing to do."