The Duke of Sussex has revealed how an argument with his wife Meghan led him to seek professional help with his mental health struggles because he feared losing her altogether.
Prince Harry spoke frankly in his new Apple TV+ docuseries with Oprah Winfrey, The Me You Can’t See, saying: “I saw GPs. I saw doctors. I saw therapists. I saw alternative therapists. I saw all sorts of people, but it was meeting and being with Meghan.
“I knew that if I didn’t do the therapy and fix myself that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with.”
The Duke, who has been attending therapy sessions for the past four years, spoke about the turning point for himself, saying: “There was a lot of learning right at the beginning of our relationship. She [Meghan] was shocked to becoming backstage of the institution of the British royal family.
Harry and Meghan, who stepped back from royal duties in March 2020, celebrated their third wedding anniversary this week.
The Me You Can’t See series sees Harry and Oprah guide honest discussions about mental health and emotional well-being while opening up about their own mental health journeys and struggles.
It features high-profile guests including Lady Gaga, Glenn Close and NBA stars DeMar DeRozan and Langston Galloway. Mental Health advocate Zak Williams, Olympic Boxer Virginia “Ginny” Fuchs and celebrity chef Rashad Armstead also take part.
“When she said, ‘I think you need to see someone,’ it was in reaction to an argument that we had. And in that argument, not knowing about it, I reverted back to 12-year-old Harry. The moment I started therapy, it was probably within my second session, my therapist turned around to me and said, ‘That sounds like you’re reverting to 12-year-old Harry’.
“I felt somewhat ashamed and defensive. Like, ‘How dare you? You’re calling me a child.’ And she goes, ‘No, I’m not calling you a child. I’m expressing sympathy and empathy for you for what happened to you when you were a child. You never processed it. You were never allowed to talk about it and all of a sudden now it’s coming up in different ways as projection’.
“That was the start of a learning journey for me. I became aware that I’d been living in a bubble within this family, within this institution and I was sort of almost trapped in a thought process or a mindset.”
