Prince Harry has caused quite a stir since the beginning of the year with the publication of his memoir, Reserve. Conversations followed in which the royal discussed his strained relationships with his brother Prince William and his father King Charles III. spoke. There was also a paid live stream with trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté planned. But as the psychologist reported in the podcast “The Diary of A CEO” with host Steven Bartlett, in his opinion the conversation should have gone differently.

“I didn’t follow my gut feeling”: Expert should never have agreed to interview with Prince Harry

In the interview on March 4, 2023, Prince Harry, who Maté diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, wanted above all to work through his childhood traumas. Among other things, the Duke of Sussex mentions that his father would never hug him in difficult times. A mistake the 39-year-old would never make with his own children. However, Harry emphasized that he does not consider himself a victim. The special thing about the live stream: Fans had to pay 20 British pounds (equivalent to 23 euros) to see the interview.

However, in retrospect, Maté is annoyed that the conversation was only accessible via a paywall. “I had a gut feeling the whole time that I shouldn’t agree with the way they set it up. I felt this should be a free public service from two people who can have a very interesting conversation. But out of pure opportunism I agreed,” the specialist admitted in the podcast. “So I didn’t follow my gut feeling, but lost myself in agreeing to the format.”

Dr. Gabor Maté had to endure “degrading” criticism after an interview with Prince Harry

But the reactions to the livestream also affected Gabor Maté deeply. He reports that he subsequently had to endure both “demeaning” and “condescending” criticism. Among other things, he was even described as a “strict, arrogant bringer of pain”. Nevertheless, the expert explained that from today’s perspective he regrets less the content than the format of the conversation.