Prince Harry has revealed that he slipped into depression in late 2019 as he and Meghan Markle considered their future within the royal family.
The Duke of Sussex said he experienced an intense emotional collapse after arriving in Canada with Meghan and their young son, Prince Archie, following years of relying on stress and adrenaline to function.
Speaking in the newly released MasterClass programme Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss, Harry described the period as an “adrenaline crash” unlike anything he had previously experienced.
“I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks and I felt like I couldn’t function without adrenaline,” he said.
The couple announced in January 2020 that they intended to step back as senior working members of the royal family. They later moved to California.
Harry says stress became his ‘superpower’
Harry explained that he had spent years operating in a constant state of stress, which helped him avoid confronting the unresolved grief surrounding the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
Diana died in a Paris car crash in August 1997, when Harry was 12 years old.
The duke said that living in an “adrenalised state” initially felt like a strength. It helped him perform royal duties and proved particularly useful during his 10 years in the British Army.
However, once he was removed from the intensely pressured environment, his body and mind struggled to adjust.
“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,” he said.
Harry described the depression as the result of years of emotional suppression rather than a single isolated event.
He had previously spoken about experiencing anxiety and panic attacks while carrying out public engagements, but the MasterClass offers further detail about the psychological crash that accompanied his departure from royal life.
Guilt over experiencing happiness
Harry also discussed feeling guilty whenever he experienced happiness after Diana’s death.
He said part of him believed that remaining sad was necessary to preserve his connection to his mother and honour her memory.
The guilt contributed to him shutting down both painful and positive memories of Diana.
Harry recalled crying at her burial but said he then struggled to cry again for many years. Emotional numbness became a protective mechanism that prevented him from processing what had happened.
His perspective began to change when he considered what Diana would have wanted for him.
“I know that my mum would want me to be happy,” Harry said, explaining that allowing himself to experience joy did not weaken his love for her.
Mother’s perfume unlocked suppressed memories
During the programme, Harry revealed that smelling Diana’s favourite perfume, First by Van Cleef & Arpels, helped unlock memories he had suppressed.
The sensory exercise brought back images, sounds and emotions connected to his mother and allowed him to confront his grief more directly.
Harry appears in the programme alongside grief neuroscientist Dr Mary-Frances O’Connor, who explains how bereavement affects the brain and body.
The five-part course examines emotional patterns, identity, resilience and ways of transforming grief into purpose.
Harry said therapy, breathing exercises, service to others and time with his family have helped him manage the effects of grief and prolonged stress.
Programme supports bereaved children
The MasterClass was released ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October.
Proceeds are supporting Comfort Zone Camp and Scotty’s Little Soldiers, charities that help children and young people cope with bereavement.
Harry has frequently connected his public work to Diana’s legacy and said he now understands that healing does not require him to leave his mother behind.
Instead, he believes finding happiness allows him to honour her while being fully present for Meghan and their children, Archie and Princess Lilibet.
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