Prince Harry revealed that the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997 left him emotionally numb for years, as he believed that feeling happiness and joy in her absence could constitute a betrayal of her memory. The Duke of Sussex was 12 when his mother died. Harry said he felt he needed to remain sad and emotionally numb to prove to her that he missed her.
He described himself as a “student of grief”, explaining that he spent a long time trying to escape his feelings surrounding the loss of his mother. He added that he had forgotten Diana’s laugh, before a therapist suggested that he use her perfume. According to Harry, the scent helped him recover feelings and memories that had remained repressed, until he eventually concluded that his mother simply wanted him to be happy.
Harry links move to Canada to depression
Prince Harry also discussed his mental health struggles after moving to Canada in 2019, saying he became depressed for about two weeks. He linked that period to a sudden drop in adrenaline levels after leaving Britain, in an attempt to gain space and distance himself from the pressures he had been experiencing.
“I actually became depressed for about two weeks, and felt that I could not function without the adrenaline”
Harry and Meghan step down from royal duties
Harry and Meghan had left Britain and moved to Vancouver Island in Canada before stepping down from their royal duties at the beginning of 2020.
The couple then moved to the United States, where they have lived for the past six years.
