Prince Harry Reveals He's Been in Therapy for Three Years Coping with the Loss of His Mother

Prince Harry gave a speech during the JPMorgan-sponsored Alternative Investment Summit in Miami and talked about his time in therapy after losing his mother.

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Attend WellChild Awards
(Image credit: WPA Pool)
  • Earlier this week, at the JP Morgan-sponsored Alternative Investment Summit, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their first public appearance following the final confirmation of their royal exit.
  • Meghan introduced Harry at the event, sharing a few words about her love for him, according to a Page Six source.
  • Harry delivered a speech for the crowd and revealed that he's been in therapy for three years to deal with the trauma of losing his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997, and touched on his and Meghan's royal exit.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are finally giving us a glimpse of what their post-royal lives will look like. If the couple's appearance in Miami this week is any indication, it's going to look brutally honest and raw, and we couldn't be more here for it.

This week, Harry delivered a speech at the JP Morgan-sponsored Alternative Investment Summit, and a source inside the event shared details about the no-longer-working-royal's talk with Page Six.

According to the source, Meghan took the stage first to introduce her husband, sharing a few words about her love for Harry. The main event, however, was Harry's speech, which delved deep into the trauma he coped with following the death of his late mother, Princess Diana. Per the Page Six source:

"Harry spoke about mental health and how he has been in therapy for the past three years to try to overcome the trauma of losing his mother.

"He talked about how the events of his childhood affected him and that he has been talking to a mental health professional.

"Harry also touched on Megxit, saying while it has been very difficult on him and Meghan, he does not regret their decision to step down as senior royals because he wants to protect his family. He does not want Meghan and their son Archie to go through what he did as a child."

There's a lot to unpack there. First, revealing that he's spent years in therapy—which is apparently ongoing—is a hugely powerful thing to share. Even as talking about mental health becomes more accepted, strong stigmas still exist, often making people feel "weak" and isolated, especially in Harry's home country, the UK. Talking publicly about his experiences in therapy is a great step toward dispelling some of those misconceptions, and Harry's story is a great example of how there's no time limit on benefitting from working with a mental health professional.

And then there's the royal exit piece. Harry hasn't said much publicly about his and Meghan's decision to step back from their work as senior members of the royal family. His comments during the Miami speech suggest it's something that's been on Harry's mind for years, maybe even before he became a husband and father himself.

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Kayleigh Roberts
Weekend Editor

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.