Prince Harry says he will ‘never be bullied into silence’

The Duke of Sussex says he felt ‘trapped’ and ‘controlled through fear’

Prince Harry has said he will now “never be bullied into silence” after years of feeling “trapped” and “controlled through fear”.

A new documentary series executively produced by the Duke of Sussex and Oprah Winfrey, The Me You Can’t See, aims to overhaul the conversation around mental health. 

Throughout the series, Harry gives an insight into his and Meghan’s experiences of struggling with their mental health in private whilst serving as members of the royal family.

He said they did everything they possibly could to remain in their posts but ultimately decided to step down after Harry learned that Meghan was having suicidal thoughts.

On the evening Meghan told him she had thought about taking her life, the couple attended a charity event at the Royal Albert Hall.

“Because of the system we were in and the responsibilities and the duties that we had, we had a quick cuddle. And then we had to get changed and jump in a convoy with a police escort,” he said.

“There wasn’t an option to say, ‘you know what, tonight, we’re not going to go’,” he added.

He recalled feeling “completely helpless”, adding that he had approached his family for help multiple times, but every request was “met with total silence or total neglect”.

“That was one of the biggest reasons to leave. Feeling trapped and feeling controlled through fear both by the media and by the system itself. Which never encouraged the talking about this kind of trauma. 

“But certainly now, I will never be bullied into silence,” he said.

Speaking on his own mental health problems prior to meeting Meghan, Harry told Winfrey he did not process Princess Diana’s death because thinking about her made him too sad.

When asked whether anyone around him discussed Diana’s death, he said: “No one was talking about it.”

He said he had to “to do the role” of being a member of the royal family while struggling alone.

“But I was just all over the place mentally, every time I put a suit and tie on, having to do the role and go look in the mirror and say ‘right let’s go’. Before I even left the house, I was pouring with sweat ... I was in fight or flight mode,” he said.