Prince Harry opens up about mental health struggles after Princess Diana’s death
In two new interviews, Prince Harry has opened up about the emotional trauma he experienced after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and the agony of being forced to walk behind her coffin at the funeral.
“My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television,” he recalled to Newsweek magazine. “I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today.”
On top of all this, the 32-year-old revealed he was suffering panic attacks and severe social anxiety in the wake of her death.
“In my case, suit and tie, every single time I was in any room with loads of people, which is quite often, I was just pouring with sweat, like heart beating – boom, boom, boom, boom – and literally just like a washing machine,” he opened up to friend and athlete Dave Henson in the new documentary, Prince Harry: My Journey. “I was like, 'Oh my God, get me out of here now. Oh, hang on, I can't get out of here, I have got to just hide it.’”
He recalled the pressure he felt to show a brave face to the world, when on the inside, there was only heartache. “If you lose your mum at the age of 12, you have got to deal with it. The idea that 20 years later I still hadn’t really… that 15, 17 years later I still hadn’t dealt with it.”
In the end, what changed his attitude and the direction of his life was his time in the military. “Afghan was the moment where I was like, ‘Right, deal with it,’” he revealed. “Once I plucked my head out of the sand, post-Afghan, it had a huge, life-changing moment for me.”
Today, the young royal (along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) is a staunch advocate for removing the stigma surrounding mental health, and works tirelessly to encourage others – young people, in particular – to find the courage to speak out about their emotional struggles.