Prince Harry has spoken candidly about how becoming a father motivated him to seek therapy and address past issues, saying he wanted to be 'the best version' of himself for his children. The Duke of Sussex made the remarks during a Movember event in Melbourne on the second day of his and Meghan's visit to Australia.
Discussing fatherhood at the Whitten Oval, home of Australian rules football club Western Bulldogs, Harry said each generation needs to be 'an upgrade' on the previous one. He emphasised he was not criticising his own parents, King Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, but noted that parenting evolves over time.
'Our kids are our upgrade,' Harry said. 'Not to say that I upgraded my dad or that my kids upgraded me, but the kids that we bring up in today’s world need to be upgraded.' He added that therapy helped him 'cleanse myself of the past' before his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, were born.
The duke also spoke about the early days of fatherhood, admitting he felt a 'disconnection' because his wife was the one carrying the baby. He shared advice from his therapist about being aware of his own emotions after the birth, noting that his stress could affect baby Archie.
After the talk, Harry joined Western Bulldogs players for a kickabout on the pitch and enjoyed a performance by children's group The Wiggles. Earlier in the day, he attended a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra without Meghan, where he participated in an Aboriginal smoking ceremony.
