In the five-part documentary series “The Me You Can’t See”, Prince Harry spoke openly with Oprah Winfrey about his mother’s death, his associated trauma, his struggle with life as a royal and the psychological problems of his wife, Duchess Meghan. GALA summarizes the most haunting statements.
Prince Harry was upset on the day of Princess Diana’s funeral
These are images that have burned themselves deeply into the collective memory: On September 6, 1997, the 12-year-old Prince Harry and the 15-year-old Prince William, with their heads bowed, followed their mother’s coffin in a funeral procession through London. What he remembers most, says Harry today, is the rattle of horses’ hooves on the asphalt – a carriage carried the coffin. He and William were “in shock” during the march. “It was like being out of my body and just going with them and doing what was expected of me.” From the overwhelming grief of the people around him, he who was suppressing his emotions was irritated and upset. “I thought: ‘This is my mother. You have never met her'”. It wasn’t the only thing that upset him. “I was so mad at what happened to her and the fact that there was no justice at all.”
The moving photos of their funeral service
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Diana’s loss was a taboo subject
Both the death of his mother and the topic of therapy were hushed up in his family, claims Prince Harry in the series, which has been available on AppleTV + since May 21, 2021. He blames both the media and the institution in which he grew up. It is. It is widely known that the Royals are advised not to show any emotions in public. According to Harry, this also applies behind the scenes.
He describes the situation after Diana’s death with the words: “I don’t want to think about her, because when I think about her it will bring up the fact that I cannot bring her back and it will only make me sad. What brings it to think about something sad? What’s the point of thinking about someone you’ve lost and who you’ll never get back? And I just decided not to talk about it. Nobody talked about it. ” His inner circle noticed changes in his behavior and advised him to seek professional help. But he initially rejected this.
Prince Charles gave his sons the cold shoulder
According to Harry, Prince Charles showed little empathy and offered no help in coping with life as a royal and the loss of the princess. “My dad used to tell me when I was younger … he said it to both William and me, ‘Well, it was like this for me, so it will be like this for you.’ It doesn’t make any sense. because you have suffered, that doesn’t mean your children have to suffer, on the contrary. ” You have to do everything so that the negative experiences you have made are not carried over to the youngsters.
A few days before the broadcast of “The Me You Can’t See”, Harry caused a sensation on the “Armchair Expert” podcast because he criticized the upbringing methods of his father and grandmother Queen Elizabeth. There is a “genetic pain” and a “genetic suffering” in the Royal Family that is passed on from generation to generation.
Escape into alcohol and drugs
As a teenager and young adult, Harry went wild and was notorious as a party prince. What looked like fun from the outside was actually a dark time. “I was ready to drink, I was ready to do drugs, I was ready to try and do the things that made me feel less.” On Friday and Saturday evenings alone he drank as much as others did in a week, “not because I enjoyed it, but because I tried to cover something up”. At the time, however, he was not aware of the displacement mechanism.
Harry suffered from panic attacks and feelings of guilt
As the son of the future king, Prince Harry has been in the spotlight since he was born in 1984. But this attention burdens him heavily in the past. “Before I left the house, I was drenched in sweat, my heart rate was racing,” he says of his time as Senior Royal. “I was in combat mode or on autopilot. Every time I jumped in the car, every time I saw a camera, I freaked out. I just started to sweat. I felt like my body temperature was two or three Degrees warmer than everyone else in the room. ” The press and social media make him “angry” because it reminds him of what happened to Princess Diana. That he couldn’t protect her from the paparazzi makes him feel guilty. “I was too young to help a woman, in this case my mother.”
The city of London is a trigger for him in this regard, continues Harry. When he was abroad and came back, he felt “tense” and “worried”. This was also the case in April 2021, when he came to London for the first time after the Megxit for the funeral service for his grandfather Prince Philip. He thought for a long time what the reason for his negative feelings was and then came to the conclusion that it was due to the loss of Princess Diana. “It’s about being chased, being helpless and knowing that there is nothing you can do about it. There is no escape. There is no way out,” Harry describes the pressures of the media.
Duchess Meghan helped her husband with his healing
At some point, all those years of repressed emotions came up. In July 2016, at the age of 31, Harry met his future wife – and she inspired him to take serious therapy. It is true that he has met doctors and experts for mental problems before, says the Royal. But the “Suits” actress apparently gave the decisive impetus. “It was getting to know and being with Meghan. I knew that I was this woman with whom I would spend the rest of my life,” says the Royal in the documentary series. The therapy, which continues to this day, has helped him cope with his past. Harry: “I feel more comfortable in my skin now. I don’t get panic attacks. I’ve learned more about myself in the last four years than in the 32 years before. And I have to thank my wife for that.” The only way to break free and break out is to tell the truth, he adds elsewhere.
Archie’s first words were “Grandma Diana”
Prince Harry misses his mother painfully to this day. “I wish she could have met Meghan. I wish she was there for Archie. I have a photo in his nursery … and it was one of the first words he said. Apart from mom, dad, it was grandma “Grandma Diana. It’s the cutest thing ever, but it also makes me sad because she should be here.”
Diana would be proud of Harry
The Princess of Wales did not have the privilege of seeing her sons grow up. What would she say to the Megxit? “I have no doubt that my mother would be incredibly proud of me,” replies Harry in “The Me You Can’t See.” “I live the life she wanted to live for herself. The life she wanted us to live. So I not only know that she is incredibly proud of me, but that she helped me get here. And I’ve never felt their presence more than last year. “
You can read moving statements from Prince Harry in the documentary about Duchess Meghan here.
Sources used: AppleTV +, people.com, mailonline.co.uk