For the first time, Prince’s William and Harry, have joined together to open up about their late mum Princess Diana.
The royal brother’s have commemorated their beloved mother, in honour of the 20th anniversary of her tragic death in 1997, in a new documentary entitled: Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy. Through the course of the interview, both William and Harry candidly discussed their mother and paid tribute to the influence she has had on shaping their lives.
It was during the interview with British journalist Bryony Gordon, that Prince Harry spoke candidly about his mental struggle, and coming to terms with his mother’s death in his late 20’s.
Prince Harry: ” 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 quite a serious effect on not only my personal life, but my work as well. My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum. It’s only going to make you sad, it’s not going to bring her back”.
He added that he felt like he had been “very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions,” and finally sought professional counseling at the urging of his brother Prince William.
He also turned to boxing to help him punch out some of his bottled up anger as a way of dealing with his grief.
Prince Harry: “That really saved me because I was on the verge of punching someone, so being able to punch someone who had pads was certainly easier.”
Prince Harry has grown up under intense media scrutiny, having his personal tragedies as well as his antics and gaffes as the subject of numerous news reports.
The once cheeky royal has previously been in the spotlight for his personal antics, such as that infamous visit to Las Vegas in 2012, where revealing and deeply embarrassing pictures of his naked body spread across the internet after , taking six women back to his hotel room and engaging in a game of strip billiards.
In early 2009, Prince Harry once again faced criticism for his insensitivity. Videos of him from 2006 surfaced and depicted him using a derogatory term for a fellow Pakistani soldier as well as another offensive remark. Prince Harry apologized for his comments, and the army ordered him to undergo sensitivity training.
His excessive partying, drinking and smoking have also come under fire in the past, however it appears that these days, the young royal has put this erratic behaviour in the past, and has “stepped up” as Britain’s favourite royal.
Harry revealed that there was a time when he considered leaving public/royal life for good, in favour of a “Normal Life” like his cousins Zara and Peter, children of Princess Margaret.
Prince Harry: “I decided to continue my royal life and work out a role for myself”.
He said his grandmother, the Queen, helped him to continue his royal duties and find the right path.
Prince Harry served in the British Armed Services (Army) for ten years, rising to the rank of Captain and undertaking two tours of Afghanistan, ending operational duties in 2015. It was during his time in the army, he felt the most at ease, and still holds a deep resentment at having been removed from the front line, because his presence there was leaked to the press.
Prince Harry has campaigned to raise awareness of the ongoing challenges facing service personnel making the transition to civilian life. In particular, he has worked to bring wider public attention to the support that wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women need through their entire rehabilitation process.
That includes long-term support for each person and their family for both physical and mental injuries.His work in this area has seen Prince Harry take part in a number of projects and initiatives, including volunteering with the Army’s Personnel Recovery Unit in London, trekking with wounded servicemen and women to the South Pole and in the Arctic, supporting a number of adventure challenges through his Endeavour Fund, and creating the “Invictus Games”.
The Invictus Games is an international adaptive sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veteran.
The Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve their country. The first Invictus Games were held in London in 2014 followed by Orlando, Florida in May 2016. The next games will be held in Toronto in 2017 and followed by Sydney in 2018.
Prince Harry now spends his working life supporting a number of charitable activities and projects as well as carrying out public duties in support of Her Majesty The Queen.
All charities he and his brother have chosen to support were considered very carefully, because they didn’t want to be just another couple of celebrities putting a face to a cause. They wanted to actively both take part in the charity and believe in the charity.
Their mother was a advocate to many causes. She helped break down the stigma of HIV in the early 80’s by holding a dying AIDs victims hand at a time when many believed the disease could be transferred by touch, and she also brought the plight of land mine victims to the world’s attention by walking through an active mine field in civil war torn Angola.
Both Princes Harry and William believe that as younger royals, they have a responsibility to modernise the monarchy as they step in to the Queens shoes.
They want the monarchy to last, and are passionate about what it stands for.
In his private life, Prince Harry has found love with actress Meghan Markle, of the television show “Suits”. They met while Harry was attending the Invictus Games in Toronto, where Suits is filmed.
In November of 2016, Kensington Palace were forced to confirm the relationship and requesting privacy and respect for the couple after Markle became the target of racist and sexist rants by media trolls.
