Prince Harry tells toxic trauma expert that he's NOT 'a victim'

Prince Harry tells toxic trauma expert Gabor Mate that he’s NOT ‘a victim’ nor ‘looking for sympathy’ as the therapist tells him he thinks the royal had a ‘deprived’ upbringing

• Duke said speaking out was ‘an act of service’ and that he was not a victim
• Comes as he speaks to Dr Gabor Maté about his childhood and military service
• READ MORE: Follow Prince Harry’s interview with the MailOnline liveblog

Prince Harry has said he is not a ‘victim’ and isn’t looking for sympathy but is sharing his experiences as an ‘act of service’. 

The younger son of King Charles is talking to toxic trauma expert Dr Gabor Maté this evening in what’s been billed as an ‘intimate conversation’ about ‘living with loss and personal healing’. 

Prince Harry told the trauma expert that he was hoping that sharing his experiences of mental health struggles would help others, including encouraging them to reach out for therapy.   

The £17-a-head tickets for the livestream also included a hardback copy of the Duke’s memoir, Spare, which was first published in January.

The timing of the discussion is particularly awkward for the palace, coming just days after it emerged King Charles is evicting Harry and his wife Meghan Markle from Frogmore Cottage, their grace-and-favour mansion on the Windsor estate.

Asked by Dr Maté if he saw himself as a victim, Prince Harry said: ‘I certainly don’t.’ The Duke added that he was speaking out to encourage others to seek help 

The livestream costs £17 and comes with a hardback copy of the duke’s memoir, Spare. Viewers can also purchase Dr Mate’s latest book 

Dr Maté began the conversation by saying there were ‘two divergent stream of responses’ to the event – those who had and hadn’t read Harry’s book Spare.

He said that those who hadn’t read the book were ‘resentful’ towards Harry and those who had were ‘grateful’ to him for sharing his story.

The Prince responded by saying ‘I definitely don’t see myself as a victim’, adding that his experiences and his work with mental health ‘sharing my story will help some people out there’.

Harry added that ‘it feels like an act of service’ sharing his experiences through his book.

Dr Maté has said Harry starting therapy ‘was like bursting a bubble’.

Prince Harry is sitting down with Dr Gabor Maté for a livestream event about ‘trauma and healing’ 

Prince Harry joins male family members walking behind the coffin of his mother at her funeral. The Duke said unpacking her death had lifted a ‘huge weight’ from his chest

Harry described how finding a therapist and ‘unpacking’ the death of his mother, Princess Diana, was a ‘huge weight’ off his chest.  

‘My awareness of myself was distorted by my environment but also society,’ he said.

‘When I found my therapist and started to unpack 12-year-old Harry at the point my mother died was scary.

‘One of the things I was most scared about was losing the memory of my mum. I thought therapy would cure me but I’d lose what I had managed to hold on to of my mother.

‘It was the opposite. I turned the sadness into realising she just wanted me to be happy. That was a huge weight off my chest.’

Prince Harry interview LIVE: Follow MailOnline’s coverage 

Harry’s decision to share a platform with Dr Maté has provoked fury due to his history of controversial comments, including comparing Hamas to the Jewish heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against the Nazis.

The 79-year-old Hungarian-Canadian Holocaust survivor has also defended Palestinian rocket fire at Israeli civilians and once branded the Israeli government ‘terrorists’.

Today’s discussion is taking place just days after it emerged Harry and Meghan had been told to leave Frogmore Cottage, their grace-and-favour residence.

The couple were allegedly given ‘weeks’ to pack up their British home after Harry’s memoir Spare hit the shelves in January.

Earlier this week, journalist Omid Scobie claimed that some members of the Royal Family were ‘appalled’ by the decision to evict Harry and Meghan, with the couple also said to have felt ‘stunned’.

An insider allegedly told him: ‘It all feels very final and like a cruel punishment. It’s like [the family] want to cut them out of the picture for good.’

But the couple are not as ‘stunned’ about leaving as previous reports have suggested, believing that ‘if we need to move out, we will get ourselves out’, a source told The Times.

The revelation comes as preparations are taking place for King Charles’ Coronation in May amid speculation that Harry may not receive an invitation.

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