Prince Harry’s complaints about upbringing no different to Prince Charles’ moans about his childhood

Prince Harry’s brutal criticism of his upbringing echoes details once shared by a younger Prince Charles in a biography about his own unhappy childhood, sources close to the Sussex’s suggest.  

The Duke of Sussex, 36, faced a backlash from Royal aides on Monday after they claimed he had shown a ‘woeful lack of compassion’ for his family by implying Prince Charles and the Queen had failed him as a child.

Speaking to Dax Shepard, host of the ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast, Prince Harry said that his father had ‘treated me the way he was treated’, before asking ‘so how can I change that for my own kids?’.

The Duke then went on to add that he and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, had made the move to the US to ‘break the cycle’ of ‘genetic pain’ he had experienced growing up.  

Senior palace aides told The Mail on Sunday of a growing sense of ‘bewilderment and betrayal’, and even called for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to give up their titles following Prince Harry’s latest ‘disgraceful’ assault on the Royal Family, claiming he had shown a ‘woeful lack of compassion’ and ‘thrown others under the bus’, The Telegraph reports.

But sources close to Prince Harry were quick to point out that Prince Charles had lived through his own tell-all moment in a 1994 when he authorised Jonathan Dimbleby to write The Prince of Wales: A Biography, following extensive personal interviews with the Prince, The Telegraph reports.

In the book Dimbleby wrote of Charles’ unhappy childhood with details the Prince laid bare. The book was largely interpreted as Charles’s account of the breakdown of his marriage to Princess Diana. 

The comparison comes as a new trailer for the Duke of Sussex and Oprah Winfrey’s new Apple TV+ mental health series featured a video of the young prince alongside his father Prince Charles at his mother Princess Diana’s funeral 24 years ago. 

The stand-out feature of the trailer comes as a 13-year-old Harry is shown watching Diana’s coffin passing him during her funeral in London in 1997. 

Charles can be seen speaking to his heartbroken son as a female voiceover says over dramatic music: ‘Treating people with dignity is the first act’. Harry tells Oprah: ‘To make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness. In today’s world more than ever, it is a sign of strength.’

The trailer for ‘The Me You Can’t See’ – which is set to be released this Friday – features Meghan, Archie and a major hint that the Duke will again pour his heart out about the Royal Family and his relationship with Charles.

It includes tearful interviews with singer Lady Gaga, actress Glenn Close and US chat show queen Oprah herself as well as a feature on a Syrian refugee named Fawzi, described as a hero on the programme. 

The two-minute promo, which was released on the Archewell website and YouTube, will likely be seen as another barbed attack on the Royal Family and spark fresh pain for Charles, coming so soon after Prince Harry said he quit as a frontline royal to ‘break the cycle’ of ‘genetic suffering’.  

At one point Meghan can be seen looking over Harry’s shoulder at a computer as she wears a ‘Raising The Future’ t-shirt in their LA mansion. Her £27 top is made by British designer Mere Soeur, which makes clothing aimed at mothers, describing parenting as ‘the greatest and hardest job you’ll ever have’. The Duchess also appears cuddling their son Archie, who the Sussexes claim was subject to racism from the Royal Family.

NBA basketball stars DeMar DeRozan and Langston Galloway are also interviewed along with speaker Zak Williams, Olympic boxer Virginia ‘Ginny’ Fuchs and celebrity chef Rashad Armstead, who also cries as he describes his mental problems. 

Harry appears with Meghan in the trailer for the film, which is said to have been two years in the making and will be broadcast on Apple TV on Friday. The Duchess doesn’t appear to be heavily pregnant, suggesting it was filmed late last summer. The couple’s daughter is due next month

The Prince of Wales being interviewed by Jonathan Dimbleby at his home, Highgrove, Gloucestershire in 1994

The Prince of Wales being interviewed by Jonathan Dimbleby at his home, Highgrove, Gloucestershire in 1994 

Its release comes amid a backlash in the US after Harry’s attack on the ‘bonkers’ First Amendment that protects free speech and days after he launched another broadside at the Royal Family in which he appeared to suggest both his father and the Queen failed as parents. 

Royal Family expert Katie Nicholl said that Harry’s recent comments have left Britons in ‘quite a bit of shock’ that he ‘went as far as he did’. She told Entertainment Tonight: ‘I think certainly people over here are a little disappointed and I think frustrated as well, hearing Prince Harry indirectly criticize the royal family, which I think is the interpretation by some over here in the UK’

Ms Nicholl added: ‘A lot of people here think Prince Harry has overstepped a mark in talking so personally about his father, and his relationship with his father, in what most people have interpreted to be quite a critical way.’

The Duke of Sussex had told Dax Shepard, host of the ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast: ‘He (Charles) treated me the way he was treated, so how can I change that for my own kids?’ Harry then described his life as a cross between the film The Truman Show – in which a man discovers he is living in a reality TV programme – and a zoo.

The show shares the moment Prince Charles speaks to his son as Diana's coffin passes them, with a narrator talking about the importance of being treated with 'dignity'

The show shares the moment Prince Charles speaks to his son as Diana’s coffin passes them, with a narrator talking about the importance of being treated with ‘dignity’ 

Footage shown in the clip shows William (second left) and Harry (right) as they  grieved their mother Diana

Footage shown in the clip shows William (second left) and Harry (right) as they  grieved their mother Diana

Experts have said they now expect Harry to talk about his family again and the decision to quit as frontline royals in the upcoming documentary

Experts have said they now expect Harry to talk about his family again and the decision to quit as frontline royals in the upcoming documentary

Harry speaks to Oprah about the bravery of those who seek help, before Ms Winfrey also becomes tearful as she describes having to 'accept' her own problems

Harry speaks to Oprah about the bravery of those who seek help, before Ms Winfrey also becomes tearful as she describes having to ‘accept’ her own problems

Harry urges viewers to speak out in the clip that also shows his wife and son together at home in Los Angeles

Harry urges viewers to speak out in the clip that also shows his wife and son together at home in Los Angeles

Harry urges viewers to speak out in the clip that also shows his wife and son together at home in Los Angeles

Oprah Winfreys also cries as she speaks to Harry in a film the pair both helped produce

Oprah Winfreys also cries as she speaks to Harry in a film the pair both helped produce

Lady Gaga is one of many famous names to cry, describing how she 'froze' when she struggled with her mental health

Lady Gaga is one of many famous names to cry, describing how she ‘froze’ when she struggled with her mental health

Prince Harry sparks furious backlash in the US after calling the First Amendment ‘bonkers’ despite admitting he doesn’t ‘understand it’ 

Prince Harry has sparked outrage in the US, the country that welcomed him when he fled from British royal life, after describing the First Amendment – one of the country’s most cherished founding principles – as ‘bonkers’. 

Harry – who fled British royal life to live in luxury in California last year and has since made a fortune through American companies like Netflix and Spotify while living in California –  made the comments on Dax Shepard’s podcast on Thursday.  

‘I’ve got so much I want to say about the First Amendment as I sort of understand it, but it is bonkers. 

‘I don’t want to start going down the First Amendment route because that’s a huge subject and one which I don’t understand because I’ve only been here a short time, but you can find a loophole in anything. 

‘You can capitalize or exploit what’s not said rather than uphold what is said.’ 

Many Americans who’d embraced him and reacted sympathetically to his comments on Oprah were angered by the remarks, as were Brits.  

Republican Texas congressman, veteran Dan Crenshaw tweeted: ‘Well I just doubled the size of my Independence Day party.’

Meghan McCain tweeted: ‘We fought a war in 1776 so we don’t have to care what you say or think. 

‘That being said, you have chosen to seek refuge from your homeland here and thrive because all of what our country has to offer and one of the biggest things is the 1st amendment – show some utter respect.’ 

Other guests on the show include Lady Gaga and actress and producer Glenn Close. 

Harry is seen saying: ‘What words have you heard around metal health? Crazy?

‘To make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness

‘In today’s world more than ever, it is a sign of strength

‘The results of this year will be felt for decades, the kids the families, husbands, wives everybody.’

At that moment a picture of Meghan and Archie is flashed on the screen. 

The Apple TV+ series will begin on Friday May 21 and singer Lady Gaga, actress Glenn Close, Syrian refugee Fawzi, and DeMar DeRozan of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, all appear in the trailer.

Lady Gaga and Glenn Close, along with Winfrey, appear close to tears as they discuss their experiences.

Winfrey says: ‘It’s just something I accepted.’

Meghan makes a brief appearance, coming into shot at Harry’s side.

The duchess is smiling and wearing a T-shirt printed with the slogan ‘Raising the Future’.

The Sussexes’ son Archie is also shown sitting on his mother’s lap later on – in footage filmed around the time of his first birthday.

The duke and Winfrey have joined forces to guide ‘honest discussions about mental health and emotional wellbeing while opening up about their personal journeys and struggles’, the Archewell website said.

Harry adds in the footage: ‘The results of this year will be felt for decades. The kids, families, husbands, wives, everybody.’

Harry and Winfrey are co-creators and executive producers of the project.

Poet Hussain Manawer also appears in the trailer for the new documentary. He was previously in the Sussexes’ first Archewell Audio podcast last December.

The Sussexes made a series of damaging allegations about the royal family when they were interviewed by Winfrey earlier his year.

The couple accused an unnamed royal, not the Queen or Philip, of raising concerns about how dark their son Archie’s skin tone would be, before he was born.

Meghan also said she asked for help when she was suicidal, but said the monarchy gave her no support.

Harry has spoken of the emotional turmoil he faced after his mother was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, saying he spent nearly two decades ‘not thinking’ about her death before eventually getting help after a period of ‘total chaos’.   

Harry asks Oprah in the clip 'What words have you heard around mental health? Crazy?'

The Apple TV show is being broadcast on Friday and was produced by the Duke and Winfrey

The Apple TV show is being broadcast on Friday and was produced by the Duke and Winfrey

Hollywood actress Glenn Close also appears tearful in the highly-anticipated TV show

Hollywood actress Glenn Close also appears tearful in the highly-anticipated TV show

Lady Gaga is pictured during the trailer for the new documentary which is out on Apple TV this Friday

Lady Gaga is pictured during the trailer for the new documentary which is out on Apple TV this Friday

Syrian refugee boy Fawzi also appears in the programme which looks at the issue of mental health

Syrian refugee boy Fawzi also appears in the programme which looks at the issue of mental health

The Syrian refugee named Fawzi is described as a hero in the trailer for the Apple TV programme

The Syrian refugee named Fawzi is described as a hero in the trailer for the Apple TV programme

Poet Hussain Manawer also appears in the trailer for the new documentary. He was previously in the Sussexes' first Archewell Audio podcast last December

Poet Hussain Manawer also appears in the trailer for the new documentary. He was previously in the Sussexes’ first Archewell Audio podcast last December 

Oprah Winfrey interviews Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on A CBS Primetime Special

Oprah Winfrey interviews Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on A CBS Primetime Special

It comes just days after Prince Harry suggested he took drugs as he spoke about ‘going wild’ during a chat with a Hollywood star about their own drugs and alcohol problems.

Prince Harry should think about how his words impact the Queen and Prince Charles’ mental health instead of giving interviews about his family to US outlets who ‘only care about ratings’, royal expert claims 

Prince Harry should consider what he’s really achieving by speaking out about his mental health battles, and be mindful of the impact on the Queen and Prince Charles, a royal expert has claimed.   

Speaking on This Morning, royal editor Camilla Tominey was reacting to the Duke of Sussex’s recent podcast with US actor Dax Shepard, where he spoke of suffering ‘generational trauma’. 

In the attention-grabbing interview, Harry, 36, who relocated his pregnant wife Meghan Markle, 39 and his son Archie, one to Los Angeles, said his royal life was like the ‘the Truman Show’ or being an animal being watched in a zoo.

Camilla said Harry was entitled to share his story, but added there was ‘a degree of exploitation’ going on, and that interviewers were only thinking of the ratings, and don’t take into account the fallout. 

‘I think you can talk about your own mental health but you have to be aware of the consequences on other people’s,’ she said. 

‘Like the fact the Queen has just buried her husband, the father of Prince Charles, and then the son is over across the Atlantic having a go about the way he’s been brought up.’ 

 

The Duke of Sussex, 36, was speaking on actor Dax Shepard’s ‘Armchair Expert’ mental health podcast when he made the remarks.

Harry was quizzing the star – who is married to Frozen actress Kristen Bell –  about the American’s substance use in high school.

The Royal asked him about Shepard’s ‘awareness’ of what sparked his path towards drugs as a teenager.

Harry told him ‘For you it was your upbringing and everything that happened to you – the trauma, pain and suffering.

‘All of a sudden you find yourself doing a s***load of drugs and partying hard.

‘Look how many other people do that as well. They wouldn’t have the awareness at the time.

‘I certainly wouldn’t have had the awareness when I was going wild.

‘It’s like why am I actually doing this? In the moment its like, this is fun. I’m in my 20s – it’s what you’re supposed to do.’

Harry, who is expecting a daughter with Meghan this summer, suggested Charles had ‘suffered’ because of his upbringing by the Queen and Prince Philip, and the Prince of Wales had ‘treated me the way he was treated’, calling it ‘genetic pain’.

During the wide-ranging interview lasting 90 minutes, Harry – who appears to have developed an American twang to his British accent since leaving the UK – said: ‘I don’t think we should be pointing the finger or blaming anybody, but certainly when it comes to parenting, if I’ve experienced some form of pain or suffering because of the pain or suffering that perhaps my father or my parents had suffered, I’m going to make sure I break that cycle so that I don’t pass it on, basically.

‘It’s a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on anyway so we as parents should be doing the most we can to try and say ‘you know what, that happened to me, I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen to you’.’

He added: ‘I never saw it, I never knew about it, and then suddenly I started to piece it together and go ‘OK, so this is where he went to school, this is what happened, I know this about his life, I also know that is connected to his parents so that means he’s treated me the way he was treated, so how can I change that for my own kids’. And here I am, I moved my whole family to the US, that wasn’t the plan but sometimes you’ve got make decisions and put your family first and put your mental health first.’