Prince Harry hinted at his plans to quit the royal family months before it was announced, according to Dr. Jane Goodall.

The 35-year-old prince recently stepped down as a senior member of the royals, and the British primatologist has now claimed that he hinted at his long-term intentions during a conversation with her in July 2019, when she visited Harry, his wife Meghan Markle and their son Archie at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

She told the Daily Mail newspaper's Weekend Magazine: ''At the end [of the conversation] Meghan [Markle] came in to listen with Archie.

''He was very tiny and very sleepy - not too pleased to be passed from his mummy.''

Goodall then practised Queen Elizabeth's wave with Archie - who is now 11 months old - telling his parents: ''He'll have to learn this.''

Recalling their conversation, she explained: ''Harry said, 'No, he's not growing up like that.'''

Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan recently revealed the name of their new charity, Archewell, is inspired by their son.

The couple said: ''Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be.

''Before SussexRoyal, came the idea of 'Arche' - the Greek word meaning 'source of action'. We connected to this concept for the charitable organisation we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son's name. To do something of meaning, to do something that matters.

''Archewell is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon. We look forward to launching Archewell when the time is right.''