"I was born into this position. I inherited the risk. Those who have been dating or married to members of the Royal Family are fleeing the institution."
**Prince Harry's** extraordinary life journey has captivated millions worldwide, from his traumatic childhood loss to his bold departure from the royal family.
But what actually drives the Duke of Sussex? What internal forces shaped his most controversial decisions?
The answer lies in understanding Prince Harry as an Enneagram Type 6 personality—the "Loyal Skeptic" whose complex psychology explains his seemingly contradictory actions.
Prince Harry's Childhood Trauma: How Diana's Death Shaped a Type 6 Psyche
At just 12 years old, Harry experienced the kind of loss that would fundamentally shape any child's psychology—the sudden, violent death of his mother, Princess Diana.
For a developing Type 6 personality, this catastrophic event likely amplified his core trait: an acute sensitivity to danger and betrayal.
"I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well," Harry revealed in a 2017 interview.
This trauma crystallized the Type 6's fundamental worldview: the world is unpredictable and dangerous. Authority figures (the royal family, the media) cannot be trusted. Catastrophe lurks around every corner.
While his brother William responded to the same loss with increased adherence to royal traditions, Harry's Type 6 temperament drove him toward a different path—one characterized by questioning the very institution that failed to protect his mother.
The Royal Rebel: Prince Harry's Military Career as a Type 6 Seeking Structure
Seemingly contradicting his rebellious image, Harry's decade-long military career—including two tours in Afghanistan—provided exactly what a Type 6 desperately needs: clear hierarchies, unambiguous rules, and authentic camaraderie.
In the military, Harry found the perfect environment for his Loyalist tendencies. The armed forces offered:
- Clear chain of command: Unlike the byzantine power dynamics of royal life
- True meritocracy: Where his actions, not his title, determined his worth
- Genuine brotherhood: Based on shared risk rather than formality
"It's a community that I'm proud to have served in, and will always... protect even when I've left," Harry stated after leaving active service.
His role as the founder of the Invictus Games—perhaps his most uncontroversial and widely praised initiative—extends this military connection and showcases the Type 6's desire to create safety and support for a community they identify with.
Prince Harry's Relationships: A Type 6 in Search of His Trusted Inner Circle
Type 6 personalities navigate life by establishing an inner circle of trusted allies. For Harry, this manifested in long-standing friendships with individuals like Charlie van Straubenzee and Tom Inskip—relationships dating back to his schooldays.
But the most significant relationship in Harry's life—his marriage to Meghan Markle, a Type 2 Helper—reveals the essence of his Type 6 psychology.
When Harry stated, "I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum," he wasn't being melodramatic—he was expressing the Type 6's hypervigilance toward perceived threats, especially those similar to past traumas.
In Meghan, Harry found not just a partner but a loyal protector who shares his skepticism of the royal establishment. Their relationship exhibits the classic dynamic between a Type 6 seeking security and a Type 2 seeking to be needed:
- Harry provides Meghan with a role where her helping nature is valued and essential
- Meghan provides Harry with unconditional loyalty and alliance against perceived threats
- Together, they create a secure "us against the world" fortress
This powerful bond explains why Harry was willing to sacrifice his royal position, family relationships, and homeland for his marriage—actions that seem extreme unless viewed through the lens of a Type 6's ultimate loyalty to their trusted inner circle.
The Megxit Decision: A Type 6's Ultimate Security Calculation
When Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back from royal duties in 2020, many royal observers were shocked.
Through an Enneagram Type 6 lens, however, this decision makes perfect psychological sense.
Type 6 personalities constantly assess risk versus security. When Harry perceived that the institution that failed to protect his mother was now failing to protect his wife, the security calculation was clear: the greatest risk was staying.
"It was, you know, frightening," he told Oprah in their 2021 interview. "I was desperate. I went to all the places which I thought I should go to to ask for help."
His Description of feeling "trapped" within the royal system reveals the Type 6's worst nightmare—being caught in a dangerous situation with no escape route.
Harry's rift with his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William, further illustrates the Type 6's tendency to categorize people as either allies or threats. Once he perceived the royal family as failing to support him and Meghan, their status shifted in his psychological framework from "security" to "danger."
Prince Harry's Media Battles: The Type 6 Warrior Against Perceived Threats
Harry's ongoing legal battles against British tabloids represent more than just celebrity grievances—they reflect the Type 6's compulsion to actively confront perceived sources of danger.
His unprecedented lawsuits against News Group Newspapers and others show his willingness to challenge powerful institutions when he believes they threaten his security or that of his loved ones.
"My wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences," Harry wrote in a 2019 statement.
This hypervigilance against media intrusion stems directly from his Type 6 psychology, particularly given how media pursuit contributed to his mother's death. His fear isn't theoretical—he has witnessed the worst-case scenario firsthand.
Harry's Quest for Truth: Spare and the Type 6's Need for Authenticity
The publication of Harry's memoir Spare in January 2023 stunned the world with its raw revelations about royal life.
For a Type 6 personality, however, telling one's unvarnished truth serves a crucial psychological function: it combats gaslighting and affirms reality.
The book's title alone—referring to his status as the "spare" heir—reveals the painful self-awareness typical of Type 6 individuals.
Throughout the memoir, Harry's Type 6 perspective emerges in his:
- Constant questioning of royal protocols and their purpose
- Hyperawareness of hierarchical dynamics and power imbalances
- Acute sensitivity to perceived slights and potential dangers
- Detailed recollection of interactions where trust was broken
By publicly declaring his truth, Harry was performing a classic Type 6 action: challenging an authority system that he believes distorts reality and gaslights its members.
Prince Harry Today: Finding Security Outside The Royal Structure
In his post-royal life in Montecito, California, Harry has created exactly what a Type 6 needs most: a secure base with clear boundaries and a small circle of trusted allies.
His current work—focused on mental health advocacy, environmental conservation, and support for wounded veterans—aligns perfectly with Type 6 values of protection, support for the vulnerable, and creating safety for others.
The Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan and their other media ventures serve another Type 6 purpose: controlling the narrative rather than being defined by others. For a Type 6 who has felt misrepresented and misunderstood, reclaiming one's story is a powerful security measure.
His ongoing security concerns—including legal battles for police protection when visiting the UK—reflect the Type 6's persistent awareness of potential threats even after removing himself from the immediate danger zone.
Inside Prince Harry's Mind: The Type 6's Inner Dialogue
What does Harry's internal monologue sound like? Based on Type 6 psychology and his public statements, his thought patterns likely include:
- Constant threat assessment: "Is this situation safe? What's the hidden agenda here?"
- Loyalty checks: "Who can I truly count on? Who might betray me?"
- Worst-case scenario planning: "What's the worst that could happen, and how can I prepare?"
- Authority questioning: "Why is this rule in place? Who benefits from this system?"
This vigilant, questioning mindset explains why Harry sometimes appears anxious or defensive in public situations—he's constantly scanning for danger and evaluating trustworthiness.
The Security Paradox: Prince Harry's Ongoing Challenge
The great irony of Harry's journey is that in seeking security through independence, he has created new vulnerabilities—financial pressure, security concerns, and the loss of institutional protection.
This represents the classic Type 6 dilemma: the search for perfect security often leads to new forms of insecurity.
His openness about mental health struggles—including anxiety, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress—reflects both his personal challenges and his Type 6 desire to create safer spaces for others facing similar battles.
His recent comments about wanting his children to have a relationship with the royal family, despite his own estrangement, reveal the complex ambivalence typical of Type 6 personalities—simultaneously seeking distance from and connection to the source of their security concerns.
Prince Harry and King Charles: The Complicated Father-Son Dynamic
Harry's relationship with his father has become increasingly strained since his departure from royal duties, with their interactions reportedly limited to brief, formal communications.
From a Type 6 perspective, this conflict represents a collision between:
- Harry's need for authentic emotional support and protection
- The King's adherence to institutional traditions and expectations
In Spare, Harry described feeling that his father was unable to hug him after Diana's death, writing: "He wasn't great at showing emotions under normal circumstances, how could he be expected to show them in such a crisis?"
This emotional distance likely reinforced the Type 6's fear that even those closest to them cannot be fully counted on in times of need.
Recent reports suggest Harry declined an invitation to stay at a royal residence during a UK visit in early 2024, choosing a hotel instead—a security decision typical of the Type 6's need for control over their environment.
The upcoming royal wedding of the Duke of Westminster in June 2024, which both Harry and William are expected to attend, presents a challenging scenario for a Type 6 who must navigate a potentially hostile environment while maintaining boundaries.
Prince Harry and William: Brothers Divided
The rift between Harry and his brother William represents one of the most painful aspects of his royal exit, with the once-close siblings now reportedly barely on speaking terms.
For a Type 6 like Harry, this estrangement would be experienced as a profound security loss—the severing of what should have been one of his most reliable alliances.
In Spare, Harry described their relationship as having always been defined by the "heir and spare" dynamic, writing that William told him during an argument: "You don't need to follow me around, Harold. Mummy's gone, and Papa doesn't care enough about either of us."
This painful exchange reveals how William inadvertently touched on Harry's deepest Type 6 fears: abandonment and the failure of authority figures to provide protection.
Their divergent responses to royal pressures—William embracing his destined role while Harry questioned and ultimately rejected his—reflect how different personality types can respond to similar circumstances in dramatically different ways.
The Sussex Brand: Harry's Future Path
As Harry continues building his post-royal identity alongside Meghan, his Type 6 characteristics will likely influence his choices in several ways:
- Selective partnerships: Carefully vetting collaborators for trustworthiness
- Cause-focused work: Addressing systemic issues that create insecurity for others
- Controlled narrative: Maintaining tight management of his public image
- Security-conscious decisions: Prioritizing physical and emotional safety in all ventures
His recent establishment of a new "travel and conservation" initiative tentatively called "The Statesman Project" aligns with these Type 6 tendencies—creating a structured platform to address systemic issues while maintaining control over his involvement.
The couple's $20 million Spotify deal ending prematurely and challenges with some Netflix projects highlight the difficulties of navigating commercial partnerships when security and control are primary concerns.
Conclusion: Understanding Prince Harry Through the Enneagram
Prince Harry's journey from reluctant prince to outspoken advocate represents a quintessential Type 6 narrative: the quest for authentic security in a world perceived as threatening.
His controversial choices—leaving royal duties, speaking openly about family dynamics, relocating to America—become comprehensible when viewed through this lens.
Rather than being capricious or attention-seeking, Harry's actions reflect a consistent psychological strategy: identifying threats, protecting his inner circle, questioning authority, and seeking authentic security outside rigid systems.
As he builds his new life in California with Meghan and their children, Archie and Lilibet, Harry continues to navigate the central challenge of all Type 6 personalities: finding true security not through external circumstances but through internal resilience.
His ongoing evolution—from troubled prince to military officer to mental health advocate—demonstrates the growth potential of Type 6 individuals when they channel their loyalty, courage, and skepticism toward positive change.
Disclaimer: This analysis of Prince Harry's Enneagram type is speculative, based on publicly available information, and may not reflect his actual personality type. Enneagram typing of public figures should be taken as an interesting perspective rather than definitive truth.
More Prince Harry Insights
Want to understand more about the key figures in Harry's life? Check out our analyses of:
- Meghan Markle's Type 2 Personality: Discover how the Duchess of Sussex's Helper nature complements Harry's Loyalist tendencies
- Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Persona: Explore how the late monarch's personality shaped the institution Harry ultimately left
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