Susanna Reid has slammed Prince Harry’s new interview, claiming that he taped a “live therapy session” that anyone might pay to see.
The Duke of Sussex has given multiple interviews since standing down as a working member of the royal family with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
On his most recent appearance, the 38-year-old sat down with physician and author Dr Gabor Maté for a virtual event, where they discussed ‘living with loss and the importance of personal healing’ in a talk that was streamed live.
The prince discussed the usage of psychedelics, the Afghan war, and the views of British soldiers about the battle.
Susanna offered her thoughts on Harry’s one-on-one with the doctor on Monday’s Good Morning Britain, asking her co-host Richard Madeley, ‘Did you refer to it as an interview?’
‘He gave an interview didn’t he? With a shrink,’ Richard replied.
With an expression of shock on her face, Susanna added: ‘It’s not an interview – it’s a live therapy session.’
The presenter continued: ‘It’s a live-streamed therapy session. We were just saying, Andrew [Pierce] and Kevin [Maguire], that the complaint about invasion of privacy becomes weaker and weaker when you allow a livestreamed, ticketed, paid-for event which is about as intimate as you can get discussing your own personal thoughts with a counsellor. Don’t you think?’
Susanna then speculated that the ‘justification’ of the event might have been ‘to normalise therapy and for Harry to see himself as someone who’s destigmatising the discussion of mental health’.
A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stated last year that the pair “never mentioned privacy as a rationale for stepping aside” from their positions as senior working members of the royal family.
‘This twisted narrative was designed to lock the couple into silence,’ stated the statement, which was released alongside the publication of the pair’s Netflix docu-series.
‘In fact, their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties. Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series.
‘They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion. The facts are right in front of them.’
During a recent chat between Harry and Dr. Gabor, it was indicated that the prince suffers from attention deficit disorder (ADD).
Dr. Gabor, author of The Illusion Of Normal: Trauma, Disease, And Healing In A Toxic Society, told the Duke that after reading his memoir Spare, he realised he could have ADD.
‘When I read your book as a clinician – you can agree or disagree – but I come up with several diagnoses that seem to go on in the book,’ he said.
‘Whether you like it or not, I diagnosed you with ADD, okay? It takes one to know one, I share that diagnosis.’
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.