Prince Harry: Observations of recent interviews by a psychologist

Prince Harry was at his happiest and most relaxed on The Late Show interview with Stephen Colbert. This interview is my favourite of all the interviews as it is relaxed and yet the questions are far-reaching, and Harry reveals things in this interview that he hasn’t in the others.

Again, Harry’s eye accessing cues showed his cognitive processing. He consistently used two predominant cues, as he did in his other interviews: referring to Visual Memories and his Kinaesthetic field, which is where Feelings are accessed. The eye accessing cues show he is conventionally wired. The eyes are rather like a computer’s mouse, when they go into certain positions, they’re able to access and open certain files in the brain. Harry is utterly consistent as he shares information. Some people may not like what he says, some may think he is over sharing private moments, but the fact is he is telling the truth. The only times he accesses visual construction is when he answers questions about what his mother might say or do about what has happened between him and William. This man is undoubtedly a truthteller.

On the UK ITV interview with Tom Bradby, and on the CBS interview, Harry’s tonality often went up at the end of his sentences, showing he lacked confidence in himself. In The Late Show Interview, which began with much humour, he was visibly relaxed and really enjoyed the ongoing humorous banter, which brought out the playful side of him he was so famous for before all the controversy started.

He also played to, and clearly enjoyed, the live audience, who were definitely onside and supportive. This was a very different interview to the others and gave him an insight, whether representative or not of the general population, that he was popular, and that the audience had great affection for him.

When you look through the lens of trauma at Harry’s laser focus on the press, it helps you to see what is going on with a different frame. Much of what he is saying can be looked at in a trauma-informed way.

I believe his grief from his mother’s death, which was unaddressed for so many years by a family not best placed to deal with, or have empathy with, very normal human feelings, was anchored to the press in the form of the paparazzi who he blamed for his beloved mother’s death. Once that anchor was in place it can skew every perception about the media and jaundice the lenses he looks through at the press.

I also believe there was trauma for him in the way he was ostracised by his birth family, the resulting removal of his royal duties, the removal of his protection, exposing him and his wife and children to danger in much the same way that ultimately led to his mother’s death.

Whilst there may be criticism of him revealing private information, he is truth telling, and he is trying to provide financially for his family. We could all look with more “Kindsight” and recognise the humanity and vulnerability within. Everyone is capable of nuanced thought and if we’re not careful we can be manipulated into black and white, either or, divisive thinking.

It’s time to take a fresh look at Prince Harry. He is a fundamentally decent human, as is his brother. And as a nation we all adopted them in their youth when their mother died in such a shocking way. It’s time to take him into our hearts again. His accounts are honest. There may be some over sharing, their may be some understandable obsession with a mendacious aspect of some of the UK press, but neither of these makes him a bad human, just a human, a human who has been hurt and is now standing his ground.