Prince Harry has revealed a strict "ten-day" rule he follows with his wife Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five. The Duke of Sussex appeared this week on the American educational platform MasterClass in an episode titled Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss.
In a candid discussion, Harry spoke about grief and the trauma of losing his mother at a young age. He also reflected on adulthood and how he prioritises what matters most to him.
Family at the centre of happiness
At 42, Harry emphasised that his wife and children are central to his happiness. In a heartfelt revelation, he shared that they bring him "energy" and "joy", and he strives to strike a balance between family life and work.
This equilibrium is maintained by one straightforward rule - not being away from his wife and children for more than 10 days.
The prince stated: "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 healing
Despite his current contentment, the duke reflected on the difficulties he faced following his mother's death in 1997, when he was merely 12 years old. He opened up about his struggle to express grief after her passing and feeling "emotionally numb".
The duke confessed: "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."
He added: "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 expressed his hope that his work would make Diana proud, pledging to safeguard her legacy. He stated: "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 candidness follows a period of significant changes for the duke. This is due to his relocation back to the UK with his family in August after spending the previous six years residing in the US since stepping away from royal duties. It's believed the family is now feeling settled in Britain.
The duke has also been actively involved in charitable endeavours, both in Britain and abroad. His wife Meghan Markle has not accompanied him on any of these recent UK engagements.
