Between leaving behind senior royal life a year ago and his bombshell tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey this past March, Prince Harry has been in the headlines a lot recently. But this is hardly the Duke of Sussex's first time being splashed on the front cover of magazines. Back in 2012, risqué photos of Prince Harry, sans clothes, on a trip to Las Vegas leaked to the press and caused a stir. Although the prince doesn't usually speak on the topic, he just opened up about the experience in a new candid interview with Dax Shepard. To see what Harry had to say about the scandalous images from Las Vegas, read on.
Harry discussed the photos on Dax Shepard's podcast, revealing what was going on at the time.
ShutterstockOn May 13, the most recent installment of Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast aired to many eager ears waiting to hear what Prince Harry had to say. Shepard was honest with Harry, letting him know he knew very little about the royal family. "I’m really excited to meet you because, in full disclosure, I’m the most ill-informed person on the royal family, at least in my circle," Shepard said. "You’re the only one I ever knew, and simply because you were in those awesome nude photos in Vegas. And I literally said to myself, 'This guy’s a party!'" Shepard confessed. His podcast co-host Monica Padman chimed in and confirmed "he has said that multiple times."
Harry guessed that Shepard may have responded to the pictures of the partying prince because it was relatable, especially considering Shepard has openly struggled with substance use. "I’m sure you’re constantly looking for other people to go, sort of balance out your own behavior, right? It’s relatable!" said Harry.
Later in the interview, Harry talked about how mental health struggles can contribute to one's tendency to partake in destructive behaviors. "Rule number one is when you actually want or feel as though someone needs help, telling them to their face 'you need help,' is probably the best way for them to go: 'Uh no, no I don't.' Object, runaway, delay, or these kinds of things or go and drink or take drugs or whatever, you find different ways," said Harry. Shepard then interjected, "Take your clothes off in Vegas." "Maybe," Harry said with a laugh.
Harry has discussed these photos briefly before, but never with as much candor.
ShutterstockThis is one of only a handful of times that Harry has addressed his time in Las Vegas, and it seems the prince's thoughts on the situation have shifted with age. In 2014, during an interview with Man of the World, Harry dismissed the infamous pictures. "It was probably a classic case of me being too much army and not enough prince. It's a simple case of that," he said at the time. The pictures were snapped shortly after Harry returned from serving in Afghanistan.
But with Harry's more mature understanding as time has gone on, he told Shepard he now links his actions to something deeper.
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Harry said there were deeper reasons for his behavior.
Bart Lenoir / ShutterstockAs the interview progressed, Shepard and Harry discussed his past partying days, with Harry noting multiple times that it's not a sustainable way to live. "There’s a reason for that," Harry said of the behavior. "And for you [Shepard], it was your upbringing and everything that happened to you, the trauma, the pain, the suffering. All of a sudden, you find yourself doing a ****load of drugs and partying hard."
Harry went on to analyze himself. "Look how many other people do that, as well. They wouldn’t necessarily have their awareness at the time. I certainly didn’t have the awareness when I was going wild. Like, ‘Why am I actually doing this?’ In the moment, it’s like, ‘Well, why not? I’m in my 20s. This is what I’m supposed to do, isn’t it?’" said Harry.
Harry admitted he's finally in a place to talk about mental health and destructive behavior openly.
Alpha Press / Alamy Stock PhotoShepard asked Harry if he had been nervous to do the interview, and the royal admitted one subject in particular was difficult to discuss. "Not so much nervous, but I guess on this particular subject around mental health," Harry said. "For me, it's always, unfortunately in today's world, it's quite a sensitive subject not just for the people who are sharing but really the subject matter itself has to be handled with care."
However, Harry said he no longer worries about the headlines that will follow candid interviews. "'I'm going to be vulnerable, and if I get attacked for it, let's see who's attacking me. What's their story? What's their agenda?" Harry said.
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