The Duke of Sussex has revealed he experienced a two-week period of depression after arriving in Canada ahead of the Megxit crisis, with an “adrenaline crash” after escaping a “stressful environment”.
Harry opened up about his mental health with neuroscientist Dr Mary-Frances O’Connor in a session called Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss for the MasterClass video learning streaming platform.
Adrenaline crash in Canada
The duke also addressed his grief for his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, saying for many years he felt like he had to be sad to prove he missed her.
The duke also shared how he follows a 10 day-rule of never being away from his wife the Duchess of Sussex and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet for longer than 10 days.
In the deeply personal exchange released on Thursday, Harry said he left the UK and moved to Canada with Meghan and baby Archie in 2019 to “get some space away from everything”.
He added: “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.”
Grief for his mother
The Sussexes stayed on Vancouver Island, before Harry and Meghan quit the working monarchy early in 2020 and eventually moved to the US.
In a dramatic U-turn, the Sussexes returned to live in the UK last month after six years in America.
People magazine reported that MasterClass approached Harry last year about developing a segment on grief, and he filmed the programme in California in the summer, though not at his house in Montecito.
About the death of Diana when he was 12, Harry said: “You would think I had the best help in the world. I’m a prince for God’s sake, but I was still grieving and didn’t have any place to put those feelings.”
He described himself as a “student of grief”, and said he went to war twice in the British Army thinking he could “outrun” his feelings.
Harry added: “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.”
Remembering Diana
The duke explained he had forgotten his mother’s laugh, and that a therapist suggested spraying her perfume, which helped him to “unlock everything that had been locked previously”.
“The reality is, what I discovered was actually she just wanted me to be happy,” he said.
The cost of an annual MasterClass membership ranges from £120 to £228 a year.
Meanwhile, Meghan was spotted in London this week, having afternoon tea with human rights campaigner Malala Yousafzai at the luxury hotel Claridge’s.
