Mental Health of the Stars. How Prince Harry freed himself from his demons

Prince Harry was born on September 15, 1984, three years after his brother William was born on June 21, 1982, who is destined to become king. The two brothers then have a rather quiet childhood. “Harry is a fairly classic little boy, rather balanced with a mother who was very present, very supportive, so he was happy”explained to us Amandine Deslandes, author of “Diana Princess of Tears”. But, several painful events will follow one another, starting with the divorce of his parents, Lady Diana and Prince Charles, who became Charles III on the death of Queen Elizabeth II on August 28, 1996.

“Prince Harry was disturbed by his parents’ divorce like any child who experiences this kind of separation in their early childhood”, thus analyzed the expert. Moreover, at that time, the prince questioned his position, since he was the “number 2”, the one who is not destined to be king. According to Amandine Deslande, “It was probably things that disturbed him”. But it was from the death of Lady Diana that Prince Harry’s life was turned upside down and his mental health was very impacted.

The death of Lady Diana, a trauma for Prince Harry

Lady Diana died on the night of August 30 to 31, 1997 in a car accident under the Alma bridge in Paris while trying to escape the paparazzi. Harry was then only 12 years old when William was 15. For the two brothers, it was a real trauma. “Prince Harry was young when his mother died.it’s a violent death overnighthe was not prepared for it and so it was a real psychological shock for him”, analyzed the author before explaining: “It was built with trauma in his childhood, in the context of the royal family where you cannot say and do what you want”.

The specialist further stated: “He grew up with a huge lack, with a difficulty in talking about the subject”. Indeed, the prince had confessed in his mental health documentary The Me You Can’t See that he hadn’t been able to talk about his mother’s death for a very long time because he didn’t want to. He kept everything to himself, which ate him up inside.

Addictions, violence, the complicated youth of Prince Harry

After the death of Lady Diana, Prince Harry withdrew into himself, chained depressions and found refuge in addictions. He confided in this in his documentary where he reveals: “From when I was 28 to 32, it was a nightmarish time. I was ready to drink, to do drugs, to try to take things that made me feel less of what I was feeling”.

If he didn’t drink from Sunday to Thursday, he confided drinking “in one day a week’s consumption, Friday or Saturday night.” He didn’t drink because he liked it, but because he was trying to “hide something”. This has also led him, in spite of himself, to be violent at times. “He was fighting in the evening, he was expressing his anger hidden inside him doing pranks” explains the expert. This is why it has long been called “the terrible child”.

Prince Harry under pressure from the media

If Prince Harry has calmed down with age and in particular the life of a couple, the media pressure has also been difficult for him to manage. “He knows that his mother had psychological problems because of the media, he also had it and his wife Meghan was also very disturbed because of this pressure, she had moments of instability, especially during her pregnancy. thus explained Amandine Deslande.

Another complicated subject for Prince Harry: his union with Meghan Markle had been much commented on, the young woman being divorced, American and actress. “Prince Harry felt like he was rejected early on”, says the specialist. This is why he would have quickly distanced himself from the royal family by renouncing his titles of royal highness. Before choosing physical distancing when moving to California. He has lived there for 2 years with his wife Meghan and children Archie aged 3 and Lilibet aged 1. For the author, “His exit from the royal family was a way to protect himself but also to protect his wife from this pressure, so that she would not experience what Princess Diana experienced”.

Prince Harry saddened by the absence of his brother

For the royal family specialist, “Harry has his mother’s temper while Prince William is more like his father”. In effect, “William was brought up with the duty to become king, he learned to stay straight in all circumstances, not to listen to his emotions whereas Harry is much more sensitive, emotions come first”, analyzed Amandine Deslande. Prince William has always been a great support for his little brother. “The two princes were very close and William was protective of Harry.” as evidenced by the photos of Diana’s funeral for example. In this sense, “Since his falling out with his brother it’s complicated for him, he must feel isolated”. But that lack doesn’t stop Harry from fighting for what he feels is right and necessary. At the risk of incurring the wrath of the royal family in its entirety, as proven by his filmed interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. As will undoubtedly be proven by the release of his autobiography announced as explosive, Spare, in 2023.

Prince Harry puts his psychological well-being first

If he had a complicated childhood and adolescence, Prince Harry seems to be doing better today. Moreover, if he no longer has WIlliam as a great support, he has Meghan Markle who is there for him. “It is his main support”, says Amandine Deslande. In the hardest times, the couple proves to be united and close-knit, not hesitating to hold hands in publicbreaking royal protocol.

Prince Harry had already admitted to having burned out because of the work that prevented him from getting his head above water. But, in 2021, he confided during a virtual meeting that he had made good resolutions to get better. Indeed, he takes every morning between 30 and 45 minutes to do things for him. “One of the kids is at school, the other is taking a nap. There is a hole in our program. I take this time either to play sports or to walk the dog, go out in nature or meditate”, he had thus affirmed.

Prince Harry commits to mental health

Sensitive, impulsive and emotional, Prince Harry, who is now 38, knows how important mental health is. He has therefore multiplied his commitments for several years. Ilaunched the Heads Together campaign in 2016 alongside William and Kate Middleton, whose mission is to fight against psychological disorders. Kate Middleton’s role was to look after the children, William’s was to greet people, and Harry’s was to heal invisible wounds. During the confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he prefaced a children’s book which dealt with mental health. It also co-produced The Me You Can’t See series with Oprah WInfrey, with invisible psychological suffering.

Finally, in 2021, he has also decided to make this commitment a profession. He was hired by the American start-up BetterUp, which does coaching and personal development.