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�I�ve spent most of my life saying �I�m fine,� � Prince Harry says in a new interview
with The Telegraph journalist Bryony Gordon on her mental health podcast Mad World.
But, in fact, the prince reveals, his grief after Princess Diana�s death in 1997 triggered
decades of mental health struggles that he�s only begun to deal with in the last three
years.
�I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12 and therefore shutting down
all of my emotions for the last 20 years has had a quite serious effect on not only my
personal life but also my work as well,� Prince Harry says.
Add to his grief the pressures of his royal role, the glare of the international spotlight,
and serving in Afghanistan with the Army Air Corps, and, the prince divulged, �I have
probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions.�
Whether because of the prototypical British �stiff upper lip,� the particular amount
of attention awarded his royal family, or the unfair stigma that has historically attached
itself to mental health issues, Harry said he suffered in silence for years.
�My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think
about my mum, because why would that help?
It�s only going to make you sad.
It�s not going to bring her back,� he said.
�I was the typical 20, 25, 28-year-old going around going, �Life is great.
Life is fine.
But, in fact, looking back now, the prince, who, along with Prince William and Kate Middleton,
serves as an ambassador for British mental health charity Heads Together, says he sees
that for �I, through a lot of my 20s, was a problem.� For about two years, he even
says his life was �total chaos.
I just didn�t know what was wrong with me.
I thought this was part of growing up.� (He doesn�t get into specifics but one can
only he assume at least part of that problem phase included high-profile missteps like
his Nazi costume and Las Vegas strip-billiards debacle.)
It was only three years ago, Prince Harry tells Gordon, that he began to seek counseling
and receive the support he needed, in part thanks to the concern and encouragement of
Prince William (proving, as we all suspected, they are the dearest and best of brothers).
�My brother was a huge blessing.
He kept saying �This is not right, this is not normal�you need to talk about stuff.
It�s not normal to think that nothing�s affected you,� � Harry said.
�All of a sudden, all of this grief that I have never processed started to come to
the forefront.� tell us your thoughts in comments below.
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