Harry Pulls No Punches

The Duke of Sussex continues to drop bombshells. In his latest outpouring he opens up about his dad’s poor parenting, his mom’s death, his substance abuse and how he coped when Meghan was suicidal

- Nici De Wet

BEING born into a life of unimaginable privilege is something most of us can only dream of. Castles, palaces, more money than you can ever spend, staff waiting on you hand and foot, chauffeurs to driven you around . . . it’s the stuff of fairytales.

But if Prince Harry (36) is anything to go by, it’s more misery than marvel. And we know this because he keeps telling us about it.

In his pre-Meghan days, he seemed playful and fun, a prince who laughed easily and had a sense of lightness about him. But from what he’s been saying lately, that happy-go-lucky persona hid the true Harry – a man so haunted by the death of his mother and stifled by the callousness of royal life he was a messed-up shell of himself.

Harry’s recent outpourings to Oprah Winfrey on the Apple+ docu-series The Me You Can’t See expanded on the revelations he made to the talk-show queen in March. The show also followed hot on the heels of Harry’s appearance on actor Dax Shepard’s mental health podcast in which the duke described his upbringing as a “mixture between The Truman Show and being in a zoo”.

The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey, was about a man who lives his life unaware he’s being filmed for a TV show.

Harry’s no-holds-barred interviews have been called “truth bombs” – and they’ve sent more shockwaves through the royal family. The queen, reeling from the loss of her husband and one of her new Dorgi puppies, is said to be deeply upset at the “very personal” attacks her grandson has been making.

Charles – who bore the brunt of some of Harry’s words – is reportedly hurt and baffled.

“He’ll be feeling wretched,” a source close to the future king says. “He wants to see a reconciliation. He’s not vindictive at all.”