Harry as a child and the relationship with his father Carlo (between lights and shadows)

In the bomb memorial Shoot the prince Harry he talks a lot about his childhood. And from his memories King Charles he turns out, in some ways, to be a father who is anything but detached and anaffective. For example, knowing that the little Harry was afraid of the dark, she stroked his face until he fell asleep: «One of my best memories is that of his hands on my cheeks, on my forehead. Then, when I woke up and he was gone, magically the door was always ajar». Sometimes, then, after dinner, Harry would go up to his room and he found «a letter where dad said he was proud of me for something I had done or accomplished. I smiled and put it under my pillowbut I also wondered why he hadn’t told me aloud, just before, while he was sitting right in front of me».

And then there are the memories of the «great games» which Carlo invented to amuse Harry and his brother William. For example at Sandringham «he wrapped us in a blanket like two hots dog until we squealed in the grip of one giggle uncontainable, then he would grab the blanket and shoot us out the other side. I don’t know if Willy and I have ever laughed so much again». But then something had changed: «In middle age» Carlo «had become more sedentary, more routine». Long before Harry and William were ready, ‘he had called himself out of this kind of physical fun. He had simply lost his enthusiasm, his momentum».

But in Shoot it also comes out the colder side of Carlo. It was he who told twelve-year-old Harry that mom Diana she was dead in a car accident – a few words without a hug. Only one hand resting on his knee as he said to him «Mom didn’t make it»: «I don’t remember anything I said to Dad, but it’s also possible that he remained silent. What I remember with disconcerting clarity is that I didn’t crynot even a tear. Dad didn’t hug me. Already under normal circumstances he wasn’t very good at showing his emotions, how could you think he did it in the midst of that crisis? However he put his hand on my knee again saying: “Everything will be fine” ». Not quite what one would expect of a father faced with such a tragedy. On the other hand, for Carlo, writes Harry, it has always been “difficult to communicate, listen, express one’s feelings face to face”.

Many years later, Carlo admitted, speaking to Harry that by now almost thirty he suffered fromanxiety and panic attackswho perhaps hadn’t been a very good father: «“I guess it’s my fault. I should have given you the help you needed all those years ago.” I assured him it wasn’t his fault. But I appreciate the apology.”

-Cressida Bonas and Chelsy Davy, as Prince Harry Remembers (in Shoot) his ex-girlfriends

-Harry and that “made up story” about Major Hewitt (who isn’t his dad)

-When Harry chatted with a garbage can (because of drugs)