Prince Harry Opens Up About Depression After Megxit, Decades of Grief Over Princess Diana and His Ten-Day Family Rule

Prince Harry has spoken candidly about the depression he experienced after leaving royal life, the emotional toll of losing his mother, Princess Diana, and the therapy that helped him confront grief he had suppressed for nearly two decades.

In a new video interview for the American education platform MasterClass, the Duke of Sussex, 42, revealed that stepping away from the pressures of royal duties initially left him struggling to function. Although he had found happiness with Meghan Markle, the sudden loss of the adrenaline that had driven him for years led to a period of depression after the couple left Britain.

Harry also reflected on the difficulty of grieving his mother’s death while growing up within the Royal Family. He described feeling emotionally numb for years, believing that allowing himself to be happy would somehow betray Diana’s memory.

Now, with the help of therapy, he says he has come to understand that his mother would have wanted him to find happiness. He also revealed a personal rule designed to protect his family life: he tries never to spend more than ten days away from Meghan and their children, Archie and Lilibet.

His revelations come as Meghan makes a high-profile return to London, meeting Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai for afternoon tea at Claridge’s in Mayfair.

Harry’s depression after leaving royal life

Speaking about the period immediately after Megxit, Harry described an unexpected emotional crash when he and Meghan moved to Canada to escape the pressures surrounding their lives.

The couple wanted distance from the stressful environment they had left behind and time to reflect. However, Harry said the change had a profound effect on his mental health.

“We moved to Canada to get some space away from everything and simply think,” he explained. “Within two or three days of leaving that stressful environment, I experienced an adrenaline crash unlike anything I’d ever felt before.”

He said he had become so accustomed to operating under pressure that the absence of constant stress left him feeling unable to cope with ordinary life.

“It was as though I needed stress for my brain to function. I became useless around the house. I slipped into depression for about two weeks and felt like I couldn’t function without adrenaline.”

The experience prompted him to reconsider how deeply stress had shaped his behaviour and how much he had relied on it to keep difficult emotions at bay.

Harry also recalled the physical anxiety he experienced before royal engagements. Simply putting on a shirt and tie could leave him feeling trapped, as though he were being strangled or suffocated.

“You would think I had the best help in the world. I’m a prince, for God’s sake, but I was still grieving and didn’t have any place to put those feelings,” he said.

He explained that the emotional burden had remained with him for 15 or 20 years, despite the privileges associated with his position.

The grief he carried after Princess Diana’s death

One of the most personal parts of the interview concerned the death of Princess Diana, who died in Paris in 1997.

Harry said he barely cried after learning that his mother had died. He recalled breaking down at her burial but then going almost 20 years without crying again.

“I didn’t cry when I was told my mum died, only at her burial, and then not again for nearly two decades,” he said.

At the time, he interpreted his inability to express grief as a sign of strength. Looking back, however, he recognises that he was a child struggling to process a devastating loss without knowing how to seek emotional support.

“I was convinced that was strength, but it wasn’t. It was a 12-year-old boy with no permission to fall apart and no roadmap for how to heal.”

Harry said he had become emotionally detached because he felt guilty about the prospect of enjoying life without his mother. He believed that remaining unhappy was a way of demonstrating how much he missed her.

“I’d spent so long emotionally numb because I felt disloyal and guilty at the possibility of being happy without her. I felt I had to stay sad and emotionally shut down to prove I missed her.”

Even now, Diana remains a constant presence in his thoughts. Harry said he thinks about her “pretty much every night and then most mornings”.

He also spoke about the difficulty of finding an appropriate outlet for his grief while carrying out public duties as a member of the Royal Family. Despite having access to resources and support, he felt he had nowhere to direct the emotions he had been suppressing for years.

How Diana’s perfume helped unlock painful memories

Harry described a particularly powerful moment in his recovery when a therapist encouraged him to find and use his mother’s perfume.

By that point, he had forgotten what Diana’s voice and laugh sounded like. The therapist’s suggestion was intended to help him reconnect with memories and emotions that had become difficult to access.

Harry said the scent had an immediate and profound effect, bringing back feelings and recollections he had long kept buried.

“It was like being transported to another time,” he recalled. “It unlocked everything that had been locked away.”

He compared the experience to removing bricks from a wall, allowing memories and experiences to emerge after years of emotional suppression.

“Spraying my mother’s scent was almost like knocking certain bricks through so that I could see through and certain memories and experiences could start seeping back.”

For Harry, the experience marked an important step towards acknowledging his grief rather than continuing to avoid it.

The interview, entitled Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss, forms part of his wider discussion about mental health, trauma and the process of learning to live with loss. He spoke with neuroscientist Dr Mary-Frances O’Connor ahead of World Mental Health Day on Saturday.

Harry also explained how his understanding of Diana’s legacy had evolved. He hopes that the work he does today would make her proud, and he has come to recognise similarities between their respective efforts.

“Everything I do, everything I put my energy towards, I hope that my mother will be proud of,” he said.

“Trying to continue and protect her legacy, what I didn’t realise was that the work I was drawn to was so similar to the work she was doing.”

Therapy changed his understanding of happiness

Harry said therapy helped him recognise that he did not need to remain unhappy to demonstrate his love for his mother.

“The reality is that what I discovered was that she just wanted me to be happy,” he explained.

He described that realisation as a turning point that fundamentally changed how he viewed his life and his relationship with grief.

“That was a huge mental shift for me. It freed me and gave me a completely different outlook on life.”

The Duke also acknowledged that his emotional struggles became more complicated after marrying Meghan and becoming a father. Although he had found happiness with his wife and children, he sometimes felt guilty about allowing himself to enjoy it.

His comments suggest that accepting happiness required him to challenge a belief he had carried since childhood: that moving forward emotionally might mean leaving his mother behind.

Harry’s experience, as he described it, was also shaped by years of telling other people that he was fine when he was not.

“For 15 or 20 years, when people asked, ‘Are you okay?’ my answer was always, ‘I’m fine’. It was numbness. It was emotional shutdown.”

He said he gradually withdrew from friends and social activities, becoming increasingly comfortable spending time alone at home.

The pressure he experienced was not always immediately apparent to those around him, partly because he had become accustomed to hiding his emotions.

The Army provided a distraction from his emotions

Harry said joining the Army at the age of 20 gave him direction and a sense of purpose during a period when he was struggling to understand his own feelings.

He now believes the adrenaline associated with military life helped distract him from unresolved emotional pain.

“Without realising it, adrenaline was driving me. It was the force that led me to join the military at 20. It was the perfect distraction.”

His deployment to Afghanistan later brought additional challenges. Harry said the experiences he encountered there appeared to activate other traumas that had remained buried.

“The things I saw and experienced appeared to trigger other traumas that had been stored within me,” he said.

Looking back, he sees these experiences as part of a longer process in which grief, stress and trauma became intertwined.

He said therapy eventually gave him what he had previously lacked: permission to grieve openly and honestly.

“Sitting in a room with a complete stranger and having the confidence and trust to open myself up,” he said, describing the process of allowing himself to confront difficult emotions.

His search for effective mental health support

Harry said finding suitable professional help was not straightforward.

He recalled consulting general practitioners who, in his view, were not equipped to address the deeper issues he was experiencing. He said the advice he received often involved general recommendations or medication.

“Unfortunately, a number of general practitioners weren’t equipped to help me. It was a case of receiving advice or being offered a pill.”

Harry said he was strongly opposed to taking medication at the time. Although he followed the advice he was given, he did not feel it was helping, so he continued searching for another approach.

In discussing treatment options, the Duke also expressed support for psychedelic-assisted therapy, a field that has generated debate among medical professionals.

In his memoir Spare, Harry previously acknowledged taking various illegal drugs during his life. In the MasterClass interview, he spoke more broadly about the potential role of psychedelic substances, including magic mushrooms, MDMA and ketamine, in therapeutic settings.

These substances can alter brain processes and are being explored in some treatment approaches for mental health conditions, although their use remains a subject of medical discussion.

Harry argued that combining conventional therapy with newer medicinal approaches could help people address emotional barriers that might otherwise be difficult to overcome.

“To combine conventional therapy with modern day medicines breaks down those walls and those barriers to be able to open yourself up and go deeper than you would ever dare to go.”

He believes psychedelic-assisted therapy is attracting wider attention than it once did.

“Psychedelic assisted therapy is no longer a fringe idea or thought. It’s really becoming, I think, mainstream.”

His comments form part of his broader account of searching for treatment that would help him confront long-standing grief and trauma rather than simply manage the symptoms.

Harry’s ten-day rule for Meghan and their children

Alongside his reflections on the past, Harry spoke about the importance of maintaining a close relationship with his immediate family.

Six years after Megxit, he and Meghan are parents to Archie and Lilibet and have returned to the UK. The children have started school in the Cotswolds.

Harry said his family provides a vital source of happiness and helps him maintain a healthier balance between his professional responsibilities and personal life.

“The biggest factor for me is the energy, joy and happiness I get from being with my family, especially our children, and from being on the ground doing my work,” he said.

He has established a personal limit on how long he will remain away from his wife and children.

“The key to maintaining that balance is spending no more than ten days away from my wife and kids.”

For Harry, the rule reflects the importance of being present as both a husband and a father while continuing to pursue work that gives him a sense of purpose.

“It’s about balancing my work and sense of purpose with being a dad and a husband.”

The commitment also contrasts with the years he described as being dominated by emotional numbness, isolation and an almost constant need for adrenaline. He now identifies time with his family as one of the principal sources of joy in his life.

Meghan returns to London for afternoon tea with Malala Yousafzai

Harry’s interview emerged as Meghan made a prominent public appearance in London on October 8, meeting Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai at Claridge’s in Mayfair.

The Duchess of Sussex, 45, and Malala, 29, were photographed leaving the luxury hotel after enjoying afternoon tea. The pair embraced warmly outside the entrance and appeared engaged in conversation as they departed.

The meeting was reportedly Meghan’s first public appearance in the UK capital in four years, since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.

Meghan had previously travelled through Heathrow Airport on several occasions, but she was understood to have avoided central London amid continuing concerns about her security.

Her last high-profile visit to London had included the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. When she and Harry arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, they were met by some boos.

The latest outing has renewed interest in Meghan’s plans now that she is back in Britain.

In the days leading up to the meeting, her public focus had been on the latest launches from her As Ever brand. Her appearance with Malala, however, has prompted speculation that she could be preparing to resume more philanthropic activity, potentially involving girls’ education. No specific plans were confirmed in the account of the meeting.

Meghan’s £28,321 outfit

Meghan wore a carefully coordinated outfit for the occasion, with the total value reported at approximately £28,321.

Her clothing included a camel coat from Tove Studio costing £1,695 and a wheat-coloured cashmere sweater by Los Angeles-based label CO, priced at £630. She paired these with white satin Charmaine trousers from Ralph Lauren worth £1,700.

Her accessories included a black Chanel handbag valued at around £7,000 and Yves Saint Laurent shoes costing approximately £1,000.

She also wore a Lovers Duet Diamond and Emerald Chain necklace by Logan Hollowell, valued at £16,200.

The meeting took place in the elegant surroundings of Claridge’s, one of Mayfair’s best-known luxury hotels.

A traditional British afternoon tea

According to fellow diners, Meghan and Malala enjoyed a traditional afternoon tea featuring cucumber sandwiches and scones served with jam and clotted cream. The scones were reportedly a particular favourite of Meghan’s.

Afternoon tea at Claridge’s costs £95 per person, with champagne available for an additional £30. Meghan and Malala appeared to choose tea and mineral water instead.

The hotel’s celebrated Art Deco interiors and live piano music provided the setting for their meeting.

A hotel insider said other diners discreetly photographed the women as they chatted animatedly throughout the meal. Both were described as polite, although their interaction with other guests was limited, with protection officers accompanying them.

The source also said the pair were accompanied by security throughout their visit. Police vehicles were seen outside Claridge’s, with their distinctive number plate lights visible.

The precise subject of Meghan and Malala’s conversation has not been disclosed.

Meghan and Malala’s shared interest in girls’ education

The two women first worked together in October 2020, when they participated in a virtual discussion marking International Day of the Girl.

Prince Harry also joined that conversation, which focused on the barriers facing young women seeking access to education.

Malala, who was born in Pakistan and now lives in Birmingham, became internationally known for advocating girls’ education. In 2012, she was shot by the Taliban after speaking out on the issue.

She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17, becoming its youngest-ever recipient, and later attended Oxford University.

Meghan has also spoken publicly about the importance of education and women’s representation in decision-making.

During their 2020 discussion, she argued that educating girls benefits society as a whole and can influence policy, legislation and the way communities operate.

“When young girls have access to education, everyone wins, and everyone succeeds. It just opens the door for societal success at the highest level,” Meghan said.

She also highlighted the influence women can have when they are represented in positions where decisions are made.

“What I had realised very early on was that when women have a seat at the table, conversations in terms of policy change, conversations in terms of legislation and the dynamics of the community are all shifted.”

Meghan added that efforts to help women speak confidently and make their voices heard should begin when they are young girls.

“And when you have to see how you get a woman to embrace her voice, you have to start with where she is a young girl.”

Their latest meeting has brought that earlier discussion back into focus, although the two have not publicly outlined any new joint initiatives.

Security arrangements remain a point of contention

The appearance at Claridge’s also comes against the backdrop of Harry and Meghan’s continuing dispute over police protection in Britain.

The couple previously pursued an unsuccessful legal challenge concerning the security arrangements provided to Harry during visits from the United States.

It is understood that the committee responsible for overseeing security for members of the Royal Family and other high-profile individuals, known as Ravec, is set to reconsider the level of police protection available to the Sussexes now that they and their two children are full-time residents.

The security arrangements surrounding Meghan’s meeting with Malala reflected the precautions taken during the visit, with protection officers accompanying the pair and police vehicles spotted outside the hotel.

However, the details of any revised security decision have not been established in the account of the outing.

Diana’s legacy and the continuing debate over her death

Harry’s comments about his mother come only weeks after the publication of his uncle’s memoir about Diana, which renewed discussion of her legacy and included claims that reportedly angered King Charles.

Earl Spencer claimed that, during an angry telephone conversation, Charles told him Diana would soon be forgotten following her death in Paris in 1997.

The reported exchange has added to renewed public interest in the circumstances surrounding Diana’s death and the way her memory has been preserved by her family.

For Harry, however, his latest reflections focused less on public debate and more on his private struggle to come to terms with losing his mother.

His account describes a long period in which he concealed his emotions, struggled to find effective support and associated sadness with loyalty to Diana. Through therapy, he said, he began to understand that remembering her did not require him to remain trapped in grief.

His emphasis on family life, meaningful work and emotional openness suggests a different approach to the pressures he once felt compelled to endure.

By speaking publicly about those experiences, Harry has offered a personal account of how grief affected him, why he struggled to seek help and how he eventually began to find a way forward.