The Duke of Sussex has revealed a strict “ten-day” rule he follows with his wife Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
This week, Harry has appeared on the American educational platform MasterClass, in an episode entitled Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss. In an honest and open conversation, he spoke about grief and growing up with the trauma of losing his mum. In the same conversation, he also spoke about adulthood and the ways in which he prioritises what is important to him.
The rule that keeps his family close
Harry, 42, made it clear that his wife and children are key to his happiness. In a sweet admission, he said they give him “energy” and “joy” and that he finds a balance between family life and work.
This balance comes from one simple rule - not spending more than 10 days apart from his wife and children.
The prince said: “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. The key to maintaining that balance is spending no more than 10 days away from my wife and kids. It's about balancing my work and sense of purpose with being a dad and a husband.”
Reflections on grief and his mother
Despite being very happy with his life at the moment, the duke reflected on how hard he found life after his mother’s death in 1997, when he was just 12 years old. He opened up about how he struggled to cry after her death and felt “emotionally numb”.
The duke admitted: “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. 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.”
Protecting Diana’s legacy
The duke also said that he hopes he makes Diana proud through his work, vowing that he aims to protect her legacy. He said: “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.”
Harry’s honesty comes after weeks of big changes for the duke. This is because he moved back to the UK with his family in August after spending the last six years living in the US since quitting royal duty. It is believed the family is now feeling settled in Britain.
The duke has also been busy carrying out charitable engagements, in Britain and overseas. He has not been joined by his wife Meghan Markle on any of these recent UK engagements.
