Prince Harry continues to make waves in a new Oprah interview about his mental health and the challenges he faced under the pressures of royal life. The interview with the Duke of Sussex wad released Friday for streaming on Apple TV, reports BuzzFeed News.
- Harry also revealed that he used drinking and drugs to cope with the death of his mother, Princess Diana, CNN reports.
This interview is part of an Apple TV documentary series, “The Me You Can’t See,” co-created by Harry and Winfrey. The docuseries focuses on breaking the stigma around mental health, said BuzzFeed News and CNN.
- Harry’s interview released shortly after a newly published report criticizes BBC’s “deceitful” methods in securing its landmark interview with Princess Diana, as the Deseret News reported.
What did Prince Harry say about Princess Diana?
During his late 20s and early 30s, Harry’s party lifestyle regularly caught the attention of U.K. tabloid media, says CNN. In his interview with Winfrey, Harry revealed that he used alcohol and drugs to distract from the loss of his mother, Princess Diana. As a kid, Harry said he was “so angry with what happened to her.”
- “I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs. I was willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling,” Harry said per CNN.
- According to Harry via CNN, “28 to probably 32 was a nightmare time in my life.”
Harry was 12 years old when Princess Diana died in a 1997 Paris car crash while being chased by the paparazzi. Following his mother’s death, Harry said his father, Prince Charles, raised him and his brother Prince William to think that media pressure was simply a normal and acceptable part of royal life, Fox News reports.
What did Prince Harry say about mental health?
Also during the interview, Harry shared about suffering from severe anxiety. The media culture around him and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, took a mental health toll for both of them, says BuzzFeed News.
- “I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence or total neglect,” Harry said, according to BuzzFeed News. Harry also said the support he and Meghan needed, he “wasn’t going to get from (his) family.”
Speaking about his and Meghan’s decision to step away from royal life, Harry says, “we chose to put our mental health first. That’s what we’re doing and that’s what we will continue to do,” reports BuzzFeed News.
The interview delved into Harry’s personal life and a wide range of other topics. The docuseries is five parts long and available for streaming on Apple TV starting Friday, reports Yahoo News.