Prince Harry has candidly opened up about how his mental health plummeted after relocating from the United Kingdom. The Duke of Sussex shared the mental health news during a discussion with a neuroscientist in a session for a video learning platform, honestly revealing that he had battled with depression.
What Did Harry Say?
Prince Harry recently returned to the UK with his two children and his wife Meghan Markle after moving to Canada in 2019 ahead of another move to the US. Harry originally stated that he left the UK to “get some space”. However Harry was dealing with a lot mentally which came to the surface in his discussion with the neuroscientist.
Part of what Prince Harry revealed related to his relocation was: “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.”
The duke further disclosed that he had been feeling “emotionally numb” still from the passing of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and how living his life and feeling positive emotions such as happiness and joy made him feel disloyal to the grief he believed should be more of a constant without her around anymore.
Talking about his stints as a member of the Army in Afghanistan, Prince Harry revealed: “In my 20s, I went to war twice thinking I could outrun my feelings [about Princess Diana passing away]. 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.”
After crying at Diana’s funeral, Prince Harry didn’t cry again for nearly two whole decades according to news outlets. Though a therapist later talked to him about ways to bring comfort to his mind, such as spraying Diana’s perfume to remind himself of her and that all she ever would want for him now is for him to be happy.
Mary-Frances O’Connor, a neuroscientist and professor who featured in the online class, explained: “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.”
Prince Harry Back in The UK
Last month Prince Harry and Meghan suddenly announced that they would be returning to the United Kingdom with their little ones. The couple are thought to be residing somewhere in the beautiful Cotswolds.
Prince Harry touched more on the importance of his family in the neuroscience discussion, sharing that he now vows to not take any more than ten days away from his family at any given time again.
We wish Prince Harry, Meghan and their family all the best.
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Prince Harry Bravely Opens Up About His Mental Health and How Leaving the U.K. Affected Him