Prince Harry’s ‘self-destructive’ behaviour could be sign of PTSD – and he should be protected, says Army veteran
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” .
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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Harry could be showing PTSD symptoms, says retired colonel
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.
Michael Cole said the situation was in some ways ‘tragic’
“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.
Prince Harry in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan in 2008
“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.
Read more:
Biggest revelations from Spare
William will be livid – and there’s more to come
“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.
Prince Harry and wife Meghan in their recent Netflix series
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.”
Police are investigating after a “number of people” were believed to have been attacked with pepper spray by a group of men who then fled.
Officers were called at 8.11am to a multi-storey car park at Terminal 3 following reports of multiple people being assaulted, said the Metropolitan Police.
A statement by the force said: “A number of people were sprayed with what is believed to be a form of pepper spray by a group of men who then left the scene.”
What we know so far
• Several assaulted with ‘pepper spray’
• One arrest – police hunt for more suspects
• Incident said to involve people known to each other
• Incident not being treated as terrorism
• 21 people treated by ambulance service – five taken to hospital
• Injuries not believed to be life-threatening
• Traffic disruption reported – but train lines since reopened
Live updates on Heathrow incident
Fire engines responding to the incident at Heathrow Airport. Pic: @_umarjaved
Armed police attended and one man was arrested on suspicion of assault. He remains in custody and enquiries continue to trace further suspects.
Police are not treating the Heathrow incident as terrorism.
London Ambulance Service also attended the scene and treated 21 people, including five who were taken to hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.
There is currently some disruption to traffic in the area and Terminal 3 remains open.
Increased police presence
Commander Peter Stevens said: “At this stage, we believe the incident involved a group of people known to each other, with an argument escalating and resulting in a number of people being injured.
“Our officers responded quickly and there will be an increased police presence at Heathrow Airport throughout the morning, to continue enquiries and ensure the safety of those in the area.
“We are not treating this incident as terrorism. I understand the public’s concerns and would like to thank those in the area for their cooperation this morning.”
A person is detained at the airport. Pic: @_umarjaved
‘Significant incident’
The London Ambulance Service said a “significant incident” was declared.
There was a “full deployment” of resources and the ambulance service is treating it as ongoing.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “We were called at 8.14am today to assist emergency service colleagues at an incident near Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport. Firefighters remain at the scene.”
Heathrow is advising passengers to allow extra time when travelling to the airport and to check with their airline for any queries.
There was disruption to train and Tube services, with some delays on the Elizabeth Line and the Piccadilly Line.
National Rail said on its website that lines had been reopened allowing trains to call at Heathrow “following the emergency services dealing with an incident at the airport”.
It said: “Although lines have now reopened, disruption is expected to continue whilst services return to normal, delays of up to 10 minutes and cancellations can be expected until 11.45am.”
National Highways East said on X: “A serious incident within the @HeathrowAirport Tunnel has resulted in the closure of the #M4 spur road southbound between M4 and J4A.
“@metpoliceuk responding. We’ll keep you updated.”
It later said: “Incident has been resolved and all closures lifted on the #M4 southbound @HeathrowAirport spur road between #M4 and J4A.”
People on social media have reported vehicles were being searched at the airport.
A user on X said there was a “major backlog of cars unable to leave the vicinity or enter the drop-off zone” at Terminal 3.
In footage on X, several armed police were seen in a car park.
England and Scotland fans have found out where their World Cup group games will be played when the tournament kicks off in June.
England, who are in Group L, will begin their tournament against Croatia in Dallas at 4pm EST (9pm BST) on 17 June. They will then go on to face Ghana in Boston at 4pm EST (9pm BST) on 23 June and Panama in New Jersey, New York, at 5pm EST (10pm BST) on 27 June.
Scotland are in Group C, and their first match will be against Haiti in Boston at 9pm EST on 13 June (2am GMT the following morning).
They will go up against Morocco also in Boston at 6pm EST (11pm GMT) on 19 June and then Brazil in Miami at 6pm EST (11pm GMT) on 24 June.
Fans are expected to rush to sort their travel and accommodation plans now that they know where and when the matches take place.
Read more: Unapologetically political – a World Cup draw like no other
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England and Scotland learn World Cup fate
Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to find out if they will qualify.
Wales must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.
If they beat these play-off opponents, they will secure their place in Group B alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
However, Northern Ireland will also be vying to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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UK
World Cup 2026 – who England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will play
Scotland and England now know who they will face in the group stage of the next summer’s world cup.
But the fates of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales won’t be determined until they compete in pre-tournament play-off matches in March.
England are in Group L along with Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Their first match will be against Croatia, who beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Pic: Reuters
Scotland’s first match will be against Haiti, in Group C.
Brazil and Morocco are the other Group C teams – both countries were also in the same opening group as Scotland in the 1998 World Cup in France.
Trump and Infantino at the World Cup draw
Wales have yet to find out if they will qualify as they must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, and then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.
Read more:
EasyJet staff at Luton Airport to strike over Christmas
If they can overcome these play-off opponents then they will secure their place in Group B along with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. But Northern Ireland will also be vying and hoping to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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‘Bring it on!’: Scotland fans react to World Cup draw
The Republic of Ireland also need to get through the play-offs first and are paired against the Czech Republic for their semi-final. Should Ireland win that match, they will need to beat either North Macedonia or Denmark to get to the finals where an opening group containing joint hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea awaits.
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