A trauma expert has claimed that Prince Harry had to “disconnect from his family” in order to live an “authentic life”. The Duke of Sussex, who stepped down from Royal duties and moved to California with Meghan Markle and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, has been open about his childhood traumas.
Dr Gabor Mate, a trauma expert, spoke with Prince Harry following the release of his revealing memoir, Spare. He suggested that Harry’s decision to step down as a senior Royal was due to a struggle between “attachment and authenticity”, which further strained his relationship with his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William.
In a chat on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Dr Mate said: “Families are tough, families hurt one another. Children are traumatised in families. Harry was traumatised in his family, not because his family didn’t love him, but because they were carrying their own trauma and passing it onto the next generation.”
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“I passed on my trauma to my children, I didn’t mean to but I did. Sometimes people can work these things out, if there is willingness on both sides and people do make mistakes, I do believe Harry made some mistakes, that goes both ways. People can work it out and sometimes they can’t and sometimes people find freedom in having to disconnect.”
Dr Gabor Mate added he found the Duke of Sussex “humble and sincere and genuinely interested in promoting mental health.” He also explained there is often a tension belonging and being authentic, adding: “A lot of people are in that situation. And Harry in that family, with a very troubled young mother, and a loveless marriage and a father who was having an affair before he was born.”
“A family was where there was not a lot of touching and holding – there is multiple reasons to say he was very traumatised child and in order to become himself, he had to distance himself. Now, did he do it right, exactly the ideal way? Maybe not. But you know what, when I look at myself at age 38 or 35, boy, did I make a lot of mistakes. This is all part of the human drama and families sometimes work it out and sometimes they don’t.”
Since their departure from the UK, Harry and Meghan have made numerous claims about their experiences as working royals. Harry has even accused his brother of being ‘trapped’ in the Royal system.
He is no longer on speaking terms with his father, his brother Prince William, or his sister-in-law Kate Middleton, who is currently the Princess of Wales.
Despite stepping back from Royal duties, Harry continues to champion the causes close to his heart and remains the founder of the Invictus Games.
An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
