Prince Harry - sounds articulate and quite intelligent

[pigalow27]

There seems to be an accepted view that Prince Harry is very dim and unintelligent but he seems to be to be really quite articulate and have a wide vocabulary (antagonist, complicit.) I've thought this before when he made a speech at the Invictus games but assumed it was written for him and he was reading it but the answers to the questions in the interview couldn't all possibly have been learnt,

Prince William made Prince Harry a victim the second he laid hands on him.

It doesn’t matter how many resources you have or who your tutors are if you’re not academic, you’re not academic. Nothing will change that, you’re not wasting opportunities or resources, you just can’t use them. It doesn’t make you thick. Even King Charles has the good sense to recognise that. He did a whole telly program on it.

Well he can't have an understanding of the words, if he uses 'antagonistic' as he is clearly antagonistic. Writing autobiographies in which you go over old ground of family rows is obviously antagonistic. A lot of what his opinions don't seem likely to be views he has arrived at himself.

Just to take one example from all that he said, For me, there is no meaning behind his description of a ' stereotype view' of Meghan. What is a stereotype of a divorced person? I've been divorced. I don't think of a set of values attaching themselves to divorced people. By the time you get to 40 odd, a lot of people will have been divorced. Look at the divorce ststistics. Many of Harry's own uncles and aunts and great aunts and cousins have been divorced. Why would the Royal Family think in stereotypes about Meghan? Is Princess Anne a stereotype of a divorced person?

Meghan tries out different ways of being and different personas, for the cameras. She can be poking her tongue out at kids in the crowd - all natural and cutsey, to looking stern and powerful, on the front of that magazines where she was threatening to tell all, to gazing up at Harry who seems to be on the step above her, going down some steps, and the image chosen to show him as strong and protective. Then a classic stereotype, him cradling her when she is pregnant with Lily and lifting Archie and doing an impression of bountiful earth mother. I can see that she might get irate when her postures haven't had the desired effect and she dislikes press or reader comments about her. She then perhaps tries to blame stereotyping for her own posing going down badly. . But would Harry really buy into that 'stereotype' idea which he describes? I don't think so. It's not genuine. He is speaking somebody else's views - probably hers. What is a stereotype of a biracial person? Is it his own idea? Like a lot of us, Meghan has a mixture of heritage in her background which surely makes it difficult to pigeon hole her in that way, and she wasn't a mega- famous actress, so you can't really stereotype her with the rich, flashy, diva actress moniker.

I thought he did ok. He may not be academically bright but he has had a lot of life experience, from a very young age, meeting and greeting people, travelling to different countries, making speeches, talking to staff when doing his charity work. He is famously good chatting off the cuff to people he has only just met which is not always easy. And I think people are underestimating how difficult it is to be interviewed on television. I would like many people who are commenting negatively on here to try it!

It's especially difficult to do, I imagine, when you are aware that every word will be analysed, reported upon, and in some instances taken out of context and twisted to mean something else. And it's not exactly pleasant to know that pretty soon the videos will be up on You Tube featuring body language experts analysing your every micro gesture and facial expression. Given all of that, I think he held his nerve and got his message across. I reckon there is a reason for his vagueness, that things are possibly worse than he is saying within the RF and ironically he is holding back.

My brother is charming, intelligent and very articulate. He’s also a violent bully. Not entirely sure what your point is - only articulate and intelligent people tell the truth? That said I think they’re all idiots so bored of the whole thing.

Does he really think that William and Kate didn't take to Meghan purely because they had been brain-washed by media stereotypes? It hasn't occurred to him that they might just have got the measure of her quite quickly off their own bats?

Someone knowing the word complicit now makes them intelligent? Wtf?

I do feel that he is trying to backpedal a little with some things eg the racism but as I said at the time of the Oprah interview it was all hints and side eye and insinuation by M at the time.

I Dropped out of high school. I could not do the work due to panic and anxiety disorders which made me a lousy student. My self belief was that I was stupid. Why could I get nothing to stick?

As a mature age student 20 years later, I sat an exam and was accepted to a top Australian university and finished my degree with very good grades.

Sometimes you just aren’t ready for a challenge, and then you are.

How you do at school or university is not always indicative of intelligence. Having watched his interview with. Anderson Cooper I can well understand his lousy marks. Nothing to do with his intelligence.

But even if he wasn’t all that smart, is that a reason to belittle a person?

If your definition of a wide vocabulary is “antagonist” and “complicit” you really need to read more!

You seem to forget that he was at the most prestigious independent school, probably in the world. His tutors included people like Rory Stewart. Vast resources will have been put into his education by Eton, as it was their reputation on the line. All those resources, opportunities wasted. He wasn’t a hard worker who flunked an exam. He is someone that wasn’t academic and wasn’t interested in his education.
You’re correct that exam results don’t reflect someone’s intellect but what does, is someone throwing away opportunities that simply don’t exist for most British pupils, not understanding how valuable this resource was. That demonstrates someone unable to make assess and good judgements, which is a sign of intelligence

And you seem to forget that his mother died suddenly and tragically young at the very start of this elite schooling, when he was 13 years old, and given the circumstances surrounding her death and the fact that unlike an ordinary bereavement, every single person who encountered him knew about it, it probably took him at least five years to get to the point where he could function properly, that is, aged eighteen, when it was too late.

Fortunately GCSEs demand more than accurate spelling and punctuation.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs could come into play here. I didn't come out with particularly great academic achievements at school, but it is not what defines my intelligence now. It just wasn't the time for me due to problems at home. I find it really uncomfortable reading these horrible comments about his school grades. And he is the arrogant one apparently?

I absolutely agree with you there, Satinwoodhill.

I agree OP, he seems genuine, articulate and intelligent. Although seems to me people will bend over backwards to believe the opposite and find ways to twist everything he says against him.

I didn't watch the interview, so I can't comment on the way he came across specifically, but I think people too often equate being intelligent with being articulate and having interesting things to say, when actually lots of people who are not particularly 'intelligent' have lots of interesting things to say and can express themselves perfectly well. Just because you're not particularly measurably intelligent doesn't mean you opinions are worthless and you can only communicate in a system of grunts. Conversely, there are some very intelligent people who aren't articulate at all!

"I think she must be outstandingly bright. She is definitely the power behind the throne in this couple"

this is a sexist and misogynist thing to say, again framing the narrative that Megan "wears the trousers/controls harry", as if he can't think or speak for himself.

I feel like people seem quick to slate him over anything, with this undercurrent that he should be grateful for this privilege he was born into. It feels like projected jealousy as most of us come from working class backgrounds. I'd love to ask Harry, if given the choice ( WHICH HE WASN'T) would he prefer to have been born into the ' normal working class family' that wasn't hounded by the press, scrutinised by the general public ( I feel anxiety for him, I don't know how he's kept his head and turned out okay!) or into this life he was given. Seems like he just wanted to be in control of his own life. Seems like he was a victim of gaslighting all his life. Fair f**ks to him for speaking his truth. If you don't rate him, don't follow him. I'd love to see some change in the click bait, intrusive and abusive press culture after he's spoken out, but I fear the majority of people are too blind to it, and want to project hate no matter what.

Then why is Harry so keen on reconciliation? Repeatedly said he wanted his father and brother back. Said he looked forward to the day he is on speaking terms again.

If he truly believes his family feed stories and ran Meghan out of the family, any man would cut all ties to protect his family. You know, like how they have with the Markles. He wouldn’t dare expose his family to that sort of risk again.

So why then? Because he knows it’s his links with the RF is what he needs to make money. He will do anything he can to exploit that. Hardly honourable.

Harry is extremely well educated. He's been taught to speak well.

That isn't intelligence.

This is that thing that private school educated people have going on, so they can say a whole load of meaningless bollocks with authority and conviction but actually it's a load of utter tosh

He certainly has the emotional intelligence of a gnat going on what he's said.

Don't be fooled. I think if you were to talk to him about security implications and diplomacy he'd score badly. He must have given his minders kittens for decades.

Then why not give up his position to the throne and renounce his titles and become one of us peasants then? He could do all that tomorrow if he wanted. But he wont, because he enjoys his privileges and status

In those circles it's almost a badge of honour to be a philistine. Swotting and being a geek are not particular prizes when you have untold unearned privilege and a large inheritance.

As for intelligent: Harry Windsor? I'd hardly say provoking a bunch of deranged Islamists, causing a serious security risk to British personnel currently posted in the region and painting a target on his own back, not to mention those of his wife and children, was the act of an intelligent bloke.

The Windsors are renowned for not having much between the ears, but Harry really is a spectacular example of a weapons-grade doofus. Hard though it is to comprehend, he really is as spellbindingly stupid as his uncle.

He was a little rambly or incoherent at times, and definitely Meghan was speaking through him in parts.

But there were parts where he was very passionate and genuine and determined. Eg his anger towards the media’s awful behaviour - spying, hacking, vilifying - and palace staff or even his own family who leaked. And this all pre-dates Meghan - it dates back to his own mother and childhood. And when he approached Charles or William they didn’t want to know. Charles told him it would be suicide to take on the media. The Royal family as a firm depends upon them and is probably terrified of them. The interviewer responded by saying it’s good that a national institution is monitored and challenged by the media. But as Harry said - who is monitoring the media? Not a good way for a national institution (or even country/politicians?) to be - actually ruled by and terrified of the media - is it? But I suppose a quick read of Philippa Gregory tells us that the Royal families have always lived in fear of influential members of the public and each other.

Yes this part stood out to me.

He sees what he's doing as some grand narrative that will change the world to be a better place.

He believes he's 'done the work' (therapy) so he sees the light and the truth and now it is important to the world that he brings his family to this level of consciousness by them publically recognising The Truth.

No doubt we will then all sing in the streets, recognise Harry and Meghan as the Thought Leaders they knew they were, and he can finally retire to his Californian mansion to live the life of peace he truly wants.

Utter grandiose delusion.

Let's just say I don't think he'd make much of a chess player.