During a keynote speech at a mental health conference in Australia, Prince Harry said there have been points in his life when he didn’t wish to be royal or to fulfil the duties his title entails, particularly after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was 12 years old.
“I used to be like, ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role — wherever that is headed, I don’t prefer it,’ he told the audience on the InterEdge Summit — a leadership summit on workplace mental health — in Melbourne on Thursday, where his wife, Meghan Markle, was also present.
During his 20-minute address, Harry spoke about his experience with mental health and the way grief has impacted his life.
“After I was invited to talk at this summit, I wasn’t sure whether I used to be expected to talk as someone who, despite all the pieces, has their s–t together. Or as someone who, despite what it could appear to be, actually doesn’t have his s–t together,” he said.
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“But I used to be struck by something quite easy — that while my experiences could also be unusual, the sentiments that include them are usually not,” Harry continued, before speaking concerning the death of his mother and the way losing her made him feel alienated from his royal identity.
“In my experience, loss is disorienting at any age,” he said. “Grief doesn’t disappear because we ignore it. Experiencing that as a child while in a goldfish bowl under constant surveillance, yes, that may have its challenges. And without purpose, it may possibly break you,” he went on.
“There have been persistently once I’ve felt overwhelmed. Times once I’ve felt lost, betrayed, or completely powerless. Times when the pressure — externally and internally — felt constant. And times when, despite all the pieces occurring, I still had to point out up pretending all the pieces was OK, in order to not let anyone down.”
“For a few years I used to be numb to it, and maybe that was easier then, but I also didn’t yet have the tools to cope with it,” he added, suggesting that the life-style “killed his mom,” which in turn turned him against the thought of abiding by it.
Eventually, he realized he could use his platform to advocate for individuals who struggle, Harry said.
“And in addition, what would my mom want me to do? And that actually modified my very own perspective,” he added.
FILE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, leave a Thanksgiving service for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on June 3, 2022.
AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File
He credited two military tours in Afghanistan with helping him construct resilience and the capability to face his psychological struggles, in addition to becoming a husband and a father to Archie, six, and Lilibet, 4.
“When a parent is overwhelmed, children feel it. When someone is supported, families feel it,” the prince said.
“For me, one in every of the most important shifts got here when I spotted that asking for help isn’t a weakness. It’s very much a type of strength.”
His speech got here lower than every week after a charity Harry co-founded to assist young individuals with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, created in honour of Princess Diana, sued him for libel.
The prince, who quit the charity in 2025 following a high-profile dispute after a public falling out with its chair of the board, Sophie Chandauka, co-founded the organization along with his friend, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, in 2006.
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