Prince Harry Regrets Not Opening Up About Diana’s Death For So Long
“For people to turn around and go ‘Oh, you’re in that position,
therefore you’re fine’ is a completely ridiculous suggestion.”
But that willingness to talk about her in the years following her death in 1997
did not always come so easily ― at least, not for Harry, and
not when it came to talking about how her death affected him.
The younger royal hosted a barbecue at Kensington Palace Sunday
for athletes who have struggled with mental health issues,
and the BBC reports he also opened up about struggles of his own.
“You know, I really regret not ever talking about it,”
Harry told a group of attendees,
suggesting that he didn’t start addressing his own mental health
until three years ago.
Among those present was Rio Ferdinand,
a former professional soccer player and father of three whose wife died in 2015.
Ferdinand explained to the BBC how helpful it was
to hear the prince chat about his own experience losing a parent.
“He’s gone through many stages in his life that my kids are going to be going towards.
So to get some of his experiences is very,
very rewarding for me and very educational in many ways
for me in knowing what to expect from my children going forward,” said Ferdinand.
The event was held in an effort to educate and inform people that no one,
regardless of status, occupation, wealth or otherwise,
is immune to struggling with depression or other mental health challenges.
“Everyone can suffer, everyone’s got a different story,
everyone’s got a different reason,”
Harry said, adding,
“for people to turn around and go
‘Oh, you’re in that position, therefore you’re fine,’
is a completely ridiculous suggestion.”
As he has done alongside his brother and sister-in-law,
the Duchess of Cambridge,
Prince Harry continues his hard work toward
de-stigmatizing mental health struggles.
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