Prince Harry has revealed he “slipped into depression” after moving to Canada in 2019.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, and his wife, Meghan Markle, spent the first few months after stepping down as senior royals living there with their son, Archie.
Now, Harry has opened up about the toll the move took on his mental health in a deeply personal MasterClass session titled Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss.
“It was myself, my wife and our son Archie, and we moved to Canada to get some space away from everything just to be able to think,” he shared.
“Being in Canada, away from the stressful environment where presumably my body was just pumped full of adrenaline.
“Within two or three days, I experienced this adrenaline crash, something that I’d never experienced before.”
Speaking with neuroscientist Dr Mary-Frances O’Connor, Harry said he became unable to function in the first few weeks after the move.
“It was as if I needed stress in order to get the adrenaline to make my brain function because I became useless around the house,” he explained.
“I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks. I felt like I couldn’t function without the adrenaline.”
The Sussexes first travelled to Canada for a six-week holiday break in 2019. Harry briefly returned to London before the shock announcement that they would step down as senior royals.
Harry then flew back to Vancouver Island to rejoin his family, and they spent a few transitional months there before moving to Montecito, California, where they remained for six years until their UK return in August.
As well as discussing his difficulties after first leaving the UK on MasterClass, Harry also spoke about his grief after losing his mother, Princess Diana, at the age of 12.
“I couldn’t remember my mom’s laugh. I couldn’t remember what she looked like. I felt like I had to be sad to prove to her that I miss her,” he devastatingly shared.
“In my 20s, I went to war twice thinking I could outrun my feelings. But that’s not what happened.”
Harry admitted he was “emotionally numb” for a long time because he didn’t know “joy” was still allowed after such a life-shattering loss.
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