Royal Family News | October 14, 2026
For much of his life, Prince Harry has been photographed smiling beside his family, serving in the military, attending royal ceremonies, and later building a new life with Meghan Markle.
But behind those public appearances was a private struggle that began when he was just 12 years old.
In an emotional new interview released on October 8, 2026, the Duke of Sussex revealed that he experienced a period of depression while he and Meghan were considering their future outside the British royal family.
He also spoke about the lasting effects of losing his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.
One of his most painful revelations was that, as the years passed, he began forgetting details about her — including the sound of her laughter.
And when he finally sought help, an unexpected suggestion from a therapist brought back memories he thought he had lost forever.
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The Two Weeks That Changed His Understanding of Himself
In late 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle traveled to Vancouver Island in Canada with their young son, Archie.
The couple were under intense public scrutiny, and their relationship with the royal institution had become increasingly strained.
Harry later described the trip as an opportunity to get away from the pressures surrounding them.
But what happened after arriving in Canada surprised him.
Instead of immediately feeling better, he experienced what he described as a sudden collapse in the adrenaline that had accompanied years of stress.
Speaking with neuroscientist Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor for the MasterClass program Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss, Harry revealed that he experienced approximately two weeks of depression.
He said the transition left him struggling to function in ordinary daily life.
The admission offered a different perspective on a period that had previously been discussed mainly in terms of royal duties, press attention, and family disagreements.
For Harry, it was also a deeply personal mental health experience.
Importantly, he was describing his own experience in 2019, not announcing a new diagnosis in October 2026.
The Independent
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The Childhood Tragedy That Followed Him Into Adulthood
To understand Harry’s recent comments, it is necessary to revisit August 31, 1997.
That was the day Princess Diana died following a car crash in Paris.
Harry was only 12.
His older brother, Prince William, was 15.
The loss of their mother became one of the most widely witnessed moments of grief in modern royal history.
Millions watched as the two boys walked behind Diana’s coffin during her funeral procession in London.
But the public ceremony revealed very little about how either child was processing the tragedy privately.
Harry has since explained that he struggled to understand and express his grief.
For years, he associated sadness with loyalty to his mother.
The idea of enjoying life without her brought feelings of guilt, as though happiness might mean that he had somehow forgotten her.
In the new interview, Harry described feeling emotionally numb for an extended period.
He said that nobody had helped him understand that happiness and grief could exist together.
ABC News
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The Heartbreaking Thing Harry Forgot About Diana
One of the most emotional moments in the new interview came when Harry described how his memories of his mother had changed.
He admitted that he could no longer clearly remember Diana’s laugh or even picture her face without looking at a photograph.
For someone whose mother remains one of the most photographed women in history, the admission was particularly poignant.
Harry explained that his difficulty remembering her was connected, in his own understanding, to years of suppressing painful emotions.
He feared that allowing himself to feel happy would somehow weaken his connection to her.
But a therapist eventually suggested something unusual: using his mother’s perfume to reconnect with memories associated with her.
Harry said the familiar scent helped bring back experiences and feelings he had struggled to access.
It became an important moment in his efforts to understand his grief.
Vanity Fair
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Why He Believed He Had to Remain Sad
Harry described a belief that had shaped much of his adult life: that recovering from grief might mean losing his emotional connection to Diana.
In his new MasterClass, he explained that sadness had become a way of demonstrating his love for his mother.
The idea of moving forward seemed disloyal.
This was not simply about missing someone. It was about feeling guilty for experiencing happiness after a devastating loss.
Harry said therapy helped him recognize that healing did not mean forgetting.
Instead, he began to understand that his mother would have wanted him to experience joy.
That realization changed how he thought about his past and his future.
People.com
The Military Career That Became an Escape
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Before leaving royal life, Harry spent a decade in the British Army, including two deployments to Afghanistan.
He has frequently described military service as an important period of personal growth.
But his latest comments revealed another side of that experience.
Harry said he had hoped the demands of military life would help him escape the feelings he had carried since Diana’s death.
Instead, he found that the emotions remained.
After returning from military service, he experienced anxiety and panic attacks, including during preparations for royal engagements.
In the MasterClass, he recalled that even putting on a formal shirt could sometimes trigger an overwhelming physical reaction.
He later came to view these experiences as part of a longer struggle with grief and emotional suppression.
These are Harry’s descriptions of his personal experiences, rather than an independent medical assessment.
Vanity Fair
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What Happened Before Harry and Meghan Left Royal Life?
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By late 2019, Harry and Meghan were considering a significant change to their lives.
They had married in May 2018, and their son Archie was born in May 2019.
But intense media scrutiny and tensions surrounding their public roles had become increasingly difficult.
The couple traveled to Canada in late 2019 to spend time away from the pressures of royal life.
Harry’s newly disclosed period of depression occurred during that break.
In January 2020, the couple announced plans to step back as senior working members of the royal family.
They later settled in California, where their daughter, Lilibet, was born in June 2021.
Harry’s comments suggest that the period leading up to the royal departure involved personal struggles that were not fully visible to the public.
However, he did not claim that his depression was the sole reason for leaving royal duties.
Reuters
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The Surprising Development in Harry and Meghan’s Life in 2026
Six years after moving away from Britain, Harry and Meghan made another significant change.
According to Reuters, the couple returned to live in the United Kingdom in August 2026 with their children, Archie and Lilibet.
The move marked an unexpected development in a family story that had been dominated by their departure from royal life.
Despite the relocation, Harry’s relationship with his brother, Prince William, remains strained, according to Reuters.
Mental health advocacy, however, remains an area in which both brothers have publicly expressed longstanding interest.
Harry’s latest interview arrives at a moment when he is once again navigating his relationship with Britain and his royal past.
Reuters
Rare Photos: Prince Harry and Princess Diana Through the Years
The photographs below trace Harry’s life from childhood with Diana to his latest public appearances.
1984 — Diana with baby Harry.
Late 1980s — Harry growing up alongside his mother and brother.
1993 — A happy childhood moment with Diana.
1995 — One of their later public appearances together.
October 2026 — Harry discussing grief in his MasterClass.
September 2026 — Harry at the Invictus Spirit Awards.
The Photograph He Still Keeps Close
Harry also revealed that he keeps a framed photograph of Diana nearby.
He described looking at her expression and wondering what she might think about his life today.
For him, the image represents more than a memory of childhood.
It is a continuing connection to someone whose influence remains central to his identity.
Harry said that in recent years he has increasingly recognized qualities of his mother in himself.
He also spoke about how becoming a father has changed his perspective on loss, happiness, and responsibility.
His children, Archie and Lilibet, have become a major source of joy and purpose.
He revealed that he tries not to spend more than 10 days away from Meghan and their children.
Vanity Fair
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Why His New Confession Matters
Harry’s comments have attracted attention because they reveal how deeply the death of Princess Diana continued to affect him long after childhood.
The new interview also provides a more personal account of his experiences during the period leading up to his departure from royal duties.
His description of depression in Canada was particularly revealing.
At a time when the world was focused on the Sussexes’ disagreements with the royal institution, Harry was also experiencing a difficult emotional adjustment.
The sudden absence of familiar pressures did not immediately bring relief.
Instead, he said it exposed feelings he had struggled to confront.
His story illustrates an experience many people recognize: grief does not necessarily disappear simply because years have passed or circumstances have changed.
It can resurface during major life transitions.
The Lesson He Says Diana Would Have Wanted Him to Learn
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Perhaps the most meaningful revelation in Harry’s interview was not the depression he experienced in 2019.
It was the change in how he now understands his mother’s memory.
For years, he had feared that becoming happier meant moving further away from Diana.
Therapy helped him reconsider that belief.
He came to understand that honoring his mother did not require him to remain trapped in sadness.
Instead, he could remember her while building a fulfilling life with his own family.
The boy who lost his mother at 12 is now a 42-year-old father of two.
And nearly three decades after Diana’s death, Harry is still learning how to carry her memory forward without allowing grief to define every part of his life.
His latest confession is a reminder that even a life lived in the public eye can contain private struggles the world knows little about.
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