The Duke of Sussex has spoken about how he reconnected with his mother, Diana, years after her death. Appearing on the American educational platform MasterClass in an episode titled Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss, Harry, 42, discussed growing up with the trauma of losing his mother, his later battle with depression, and his current family life.
Therapist's advice on unlocking grief
In the video, Harry shared that a therapist encouraged him to unlock his grief surrounding the loss of Diana. He revealed he did not cry for almost 20 years after his mother's death and thinks of her "pretty much every night and then most mornings."
He added that his therapist urged him to find Diana's perfume to unlock memories of her after he confessed to having forgotten her voice. Harry said the smell brought back floods of emotions and memories that he had long suppressed.
Emotional breakthrough through scent
He said: "It was like being transported to another time. It unlocked everything that had been locked away. 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."
In the personal episode, Harry went on to add: "Everything I do, everything I put my energy towards, I hope that my mother will be proud of. 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."
Reflections on Diana's death
The interview comes weeks after the publication of Earl Spencer's memoir about Diana, which featured claims that Charles would 'forget' his former wife.
Harry continued to reflect on Diana's death. He said: "I didn't cry when I was told my mum died, only at her burial, and then not again for nearly two decades. 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. 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."
He added that therapy helped change this outlook, saying: "The reality is that what I discovered was that she just wanted me to be happy. That was a huge mental shift for me. It freed me and gave me a completely different outlook on life."
