For Harry, returning to London to attend Prince PhilipB次元官网网址檚 funeral last month meant once more facing a place where he felt trapped and hunted by cameras. It would be a test of his ability to cope with the anxiety that was bubbling up again.
B次元官网网址淚 was worried about it, I was afraid,B次元官网网址� Harry told The Associated Press during a recent joint interview with Oprah Winfrey to promote a mental-health series they co-created and co-executive produced for Apple TV+.
He was able to work through any trepidation using coping skills learned in therapy.
B次元官网网址淚t definitely made it a lot easier, but the heart still pounds,B次元官网网址� said Harry, the Duke of Sussex and grandson of BritainB次元官网网址檚 Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband Philip.
In B次元官网网址淭he Me You CanB次元官网网址檛 See,B次元官网网址� which debuted Thursday night on AppleB次元官网网址檚 streaming service, Harry reveals that he first saw a therapist approximately four years ago at the encouragement of then-girlfriend Meghan. TheyB次元官网网址檇 had an argument and she recognized his anger seemed misplaced.
The series is another chapter in the unprecedented openness that Harry has brought to his life and his royal family relationships since stepping away from his duties and moving with his wife to California. In March, he and Meghan gave a headline-making interview to Winfrey that elicited a rare public response from the palace.
HarryB次元官网网址檚 self-work may be relatively recent but he and older brother William, The Duke of Cambridge, have long championed the importance of mental health. In 2016, Harry, William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, launched Heads Together, an initiative to speak up and not be ashamed to ask for help when mental well-being is at stake.
Their collective work led to interactions with people across the globe, from all walks of life, and they recognized a common thread. B次元官网网址淪haring your story in order to be able to save a life or help others is absolutely critical,B次元官网网址� said Harry.
Harry is practicing what he preaches and laying bare his own struggles with trauma and grief. He describes in B次元官网网址淭he Me You CanB次元官网网址檛 See,B次元官网网址� the instances of feeling helpless as a young boy while riding in the car with his mother, Princess Diana, who cried as they were surrounded by paparazzi and she struggled to drive.
Years later, Diana was killed in Paris after the car she and friend Dodi Fayed were riding in, crashed during a high-speed chase to flee cameras. Harry was 12 and suppressed his own feelings to meet the mourning public gathered outside Kensington Palace.
Cameras rolled and snapped away as he walked behind her casket to DianaB次元官网网址檚 funeral, alongside William, father Prince Charles, Philip and DianaB次元官网网址檚 brother Charles Spencer.
HarryB次元官网网址檚 revelations coincide with Queen ElizabethB次元官网网址檚 official confirmation a few months ago that he and Meghan will not return to their senior royal positions within the family, following a one-year trial period.
The couple now lives about 90 minutes north of Los Angeles in an exclusive area near Santa Barbara called Montecito. They count Winfrey, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom as neighbors. The paparazzi still lurk but itB次元官网网址檚 less intense than in Los Angeles.
This new, outspoken prince who shares his emotions is a contrast to the B次元官网网址渘ever complain, never explain,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址渒eep calm and carry onB次元官网网址� mantras that are part of the prototypical British way.
The British tabloids have had a field day picking apart his statements. Some royal commentators have also cried foul over a contradiction between seeking a private life yet granting interviews and revealing family strife.
Harry appears to be cautious in choosing what he wants to speak about, and neither he nor Meghan seem interested in sharing their every move with the world. They do not operate a social media account.
He is undeterred by naysayers, he says, because thereB次元官网网址檚 a greater good in being honest about his struggles. B次元官网网址淚 see it as a responsibility. I donB次元官网网址檛 find it hard to open up,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淜nowing the impacts and the positive reaction that it has for so many people that also suffer, I do believe itB次元官网网址檚 a responsibility.B次元官网网址�
Winfrey was already working with Apple to develop a series on mental health when a conversation with Harry sparked the idea to join forces.
B次元官网网址淲e were having a conversation and I asked him, B次元官网网址榃hat are the two most important issues you think facing the world today?B次元官网网址� And he said immediately, B次元官网网址榗limate change and mental health.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
She mentioned the project and Winfrey recalls him later saying, B次元官网网址極h, by the way, if you ever need any help with that B次元官网网址� give me a call.B次元官网网址� And I went and turned around and said, B次元官网网址榃hatB次元官网网址檚 your number?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
WinfreyB次元官网网址檚 existing partnership with Apple created a rare opportunity to reach the vast number of people who use the companyB次元官网网址檚 devices, Harry said.
B次元官网网址淚f thatB次元官网网址檚 in a billion pockets on a billion screens, then maybe we can really start a global conversation about this,B次元官网网址� he said.
Winfrey said Harry pushed to present a global perspective. B次元官网网址淭his has got to be a world thing and not just a U.S. thing,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� she recounted him saying, adding: B次元官网网址淚 think weB次元官网网址檝e accomplished that really well.B次元官网网址�
Harry jokes heB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渟lowly catching upB次元官网网址� to WinfreyB次元官网网址檚 decades of inner-work and encouragement of others to do the same whether on B次元官网网址淭he Oprah Winfrey ShowB次元官网网址� or her B次元官网网址淪uper Soul SundayB次元官网网址� interviews on OWN. Even Winfrey said sheB次元官网网址檚 had a lot to learn.
B次元官网网址淚 have dealt personally with one of the girls from my school (Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa), who had schizophrenia,B次元官网网址� Winfrey said. B次元官网网址淥nly after hearing the doctor say that B次元官网网址榠tB次元官网网址檚 a diagnosis. ItB次元官网网址檚 not your life, itB次元官网网址檚 not who you are,B次元官网网址� that I had my great awakening about it. B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址楾hat is not you. You are a person who has a diagnosis of schizophrenia.B次元官网网址� That is powerful.B次元官网网址�
Like us on and follow us on .
Want to support local journalism? Make a donation
