The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, has revealed that he slipped into depression for about two weeks after relocating to Canada in 2019, describing how his mental health deteriorated after leaving what he called a stressful environment.
Harry said he initially moved away from the UK to “get some space” before eventually settling in the United States with his wife, Meghan Markle.
Speaking during an online masterclass on grief and mental health, the prince recalled experiencing an unexpected emotional and physical crash shortly after arriving in Canada.
“Being in Canada, away from the stressful environment where presumably my body was just pumped full of adrenaline, within two or three days, I experienced this adrenaline crash, something that I’d never experienced before.
“It was as if I needed stress in order to get the adrenaline to make my brain function because I became useless around the house. I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks and I felt like I couldn’t function without adrenaline,” he recalled.
His account offers a glimpse into the emotional difficulties he faced during the period surrounding his decision to step back from royal duties and begin a new life abroad.
The grief he carried for decades
Beyond his struggles after leaving the UK, Harry spoke about the lasting impact of losing his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died when he was 12.
He revealed that he spent years suppressing his emotions because he felt guilty about the possibility of experiencing happiness without her.
“In my 20s, I went to war twice thinking I could outrun my feelings,” the duke said, referring to his military service in Afghanistan. “But that’s not what happened.
“I’d spent so long emotionally numb, to a large extent, because I felt disloyal and guilty for the possibility of being happy and joyful without her.
“I felt like I had to be sad and I had to be emotionally numb in order to prove to her that I missed her.”
Harry also disclosed that after crying at his mother’s funeral, he did not cry again for nearly two decades, according to news reports.
He said a therapist eventually suggested that he spray Diana’s perfume to help him reconnect with his emotions.
The experience, he explained, helped him realise that “she just wanted me to be happy”.
Understanding grief and moving forward
Mary-Frances O’Connor, a neuroscientist and University of Arizona professor who joined Harry in the discussion, explained how the brain processes the loss of a loved one.
“Your brain doesn’t register your loved one as gone – it registers them as lost.
“And it will keep searching until you teach it otherwise. We still expect that they’re going to walk through the door.”
Harry also revealed that he had set a personal rule against being away from his family for more than 10 days.
His latest comments come as he and Meghan prepare for a new chapter following their reported return to the UK with their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, after six years in the United States.
They are now thought to be living in the Cotswolds.
The online masterclass, which focuses on coping with grief, was filmed in California over the summer after MasterClass approached Harry about participating last year, according to People magazine.
Harry and his brother, the Prince of Wales, have both spoken publicly about their mental health struggles following their mother’s death and remain involved in mental health-related charitable work.
