Prince Harry’s complaints about upbringing ‘no different to Charles talking about his’

The Duke of Sussex’s complaints about his upbringing are no different to his father’s criticism of his own parents in an authorised biography by Jonathan Dimbleby, sources close to Prince Harry have suggested.

In a podcast, the Duke, 36, implied he had been failed not only by the Prince of Wales but through association, by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh too.

He said his father treated him “the way he was treated” as he revealed that he moved to the US to “break the cycle” of “genetic pain” for his own children.

The comments were reportedly met with bewilderment by the Royal family, who considered it a betrayal. Aides said he had shown a “woeful lack of compassion” and questioned why the Sussexes continued to use their royal titles when they appeared so disillusioned with the institution. But sources close to the Sussexes pointed out that Prince Charles had lifted the lid on his own unhappy childhood in Dimbleby’s 1994 book, The Prince of Wales: A Biography, with which he cooperated extensively.

It recently emerged that in his new Apple TV mental health series, the Duke would be talking about his mother’s death and the experience of having to walk behind her coffin at her funeral.

The five-part documentary, The Me You Can’t See, will be released on Friday.

A trailer released yesterday showed Prince Harry, then 12, in the procession for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. He is shown looking upset, with his hand shaking as he holds it to his mouth.

The series marks the latest in a string of media projects in which he has spoken at length about his experience growing up as a member of the Royal family and the traumatic aftermath of his mother’s death.

He was filmed in conversation with co-presenter Oprah Winfrey, the US television chat show host, saying: “To make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness. In today’s world more than ever, it is a sign of strength.”