Prince Harry’s “self-destructive” behaviour could be influenced by post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a retired colonel who has also suffered with the condition.
Philip Ingram said he recognises many of his former traits in the duke’s demeanour and that he physically “shivered” when he saw some of his recent interviews.
“A lot of the behaviours I’m seeing in Prince Harry are almost triggers for me,” the Army veteran, who served for 26 years and retired as a colonel, told Sky News.
“They remind me of some of my behaviours whenever I suffered quite severe PTSD.
“I’m seeing a troubled individual and an individual that needs help, not someone who should be continuously criticised in the way he is being.”
It comes after a series of revealing leaks from Prince Harry’s upcoming book, Spare, in which he makes claims including that his brother attacked him and that he killed 25 Taliban in Afghanistan.
Mr Ingram said he chatted to Harry several times at a ball when he graduated from Sandhurst military academy and that he had a “sparkle in his eyes, a confidence” .
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However, he now believes the prince is “falling apart” and should be protected.
“In what’s in his eyes, in his demeanour, in what he’s saying – and the way he’s saying things… What I’m seeing in him is what I call self-destructive behaviour – which is a recognised symptom of PTSD,” said Mr Ingram.
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The retired colonel said he believes Prince Harry is not out for revenge and may not be fully aware of how he’s behaving.
“He’ll never be able to understand until something crosses that threshold and he goes to himself and says ‘this isn’t me’,” said Mr Ingram.
A royal expert has said Harry’s claims are the “most sensational royal revelations” in almost 30 years and that they will “shake” the foundations of the monarchy.
Michael Cole said the Duke of Sussex had “detonated a huge landmine” under Buckingham Palace.
Mr Cole, an ex-spokesperson for former Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, told Sky News: “It’s the most sensational and damaging set of royal revelations since Prince Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, sat down with the now disgraced BBC Panorama reporter Martin Bashir in November 1995.
“Prince Harry in this book isn’t really blowing the doors of Buckingham Palace, he’s detonating a huge landmine under it and shaking the royal edifice and indeed shaking the British establishment.
“These are very serious allegations and they cannot always be ignored.
“It is tragic in many ways that he feels he has to go on record like this, but quite clearly he does and nobody can say that he hasn’t pulled his punches, because he has let them have it.”
Among the claims made by Harry are that Prince William knocked him to the floor during a row in which he landed on a dog bowl.
He also claims that he and his brother asked their father, King Charles, not to marry Camilla following Diana’s death.
Mr Cole said: “Allegations of this kind ought to be resolved within a family. Families do have disagreements, this cannot be the first family in the world where a new arrival has caused conflict.”
‘Confessing to taking cocaine is a big mistake’
Prince Harry also makes a number of personal revelations in the book, including that he took cocaine and marijuana, and lost his virginity in a field.
“He has made some major errors in this book in my view,” Mr Cole said.
“Confessing to taking cocaine is a major error, a big mistake.
“I think it is a mistake to confess to a crime like this and also to say his personal tally of the people he killed in Afghanistan.
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“That goes against the soldiers’ code in every way and I’m sure his fellow officers will not thank him for that.
“He has painted a target on his own back with this. He’s increased the level of danger to his whole family.”
Harry has ‘completely embraced commerce’
The book, published by Penguin Random House but accidentally released early in Spain this week, follows the release of Netflix series Harry and Meghan.
The couple have a deal with the US streaming giant reportedly worth tens of millions of pounds.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex expressed their desire to become “financially independent” following their decision to step back from frontline royal duties in January 2020.
And Mr Cole said Prince Harry had now “completely embraced commerce”.
He said: “His royal status is just a calling card and from now on he and his wife are in the money business.
“I find it difficult to be sympathetic to them because they are two handsome, beautiful people with two lovely children and lots of money… it’s not a bad existence and while some of these complaints are serious, a lot of it is very trivial.
“They obviously feel that they have had to be frank, but that means an end to their previous existence.”
Invitation to coronation is a ‘problem’
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have so far declined to comment on the book’s claims.
They will be braced for yet more coverage in the coming days, with Prince Harry doing several interviews to promote the book.
A key question is whether he will attend his father’s coronation, due to take place in May.
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In one interview, with ITV, Prince Harry said: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. But you know, the door is always open. The ball is in their court.
“There is a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it.”
Mr Cole said the issue is a “problem” for Harry and Meghan.
He said: “The King has made it clear that they would be welcome at his coronation but that proves a problem.
“If they accept and they come that leaves them open to the claim of hypocrisy and if they reject the invitation they will seem rather small-minded and rather petty and there would be additional pressure for Prince Harry because all royal princes are present in the abbey on coronation day and would be required to swear an oath of loyalty to the new king.
“The King has played this quite well and is making it clear that his second son is not an outcast in his view.”
