Prince Harry Recalls a Two-Week Depression After Leaving Royal Life

Prince Harry has described a difficult emotional period after he left Britain and moved to Canada with Meghan Markle and their young son, Archie. In comments reported by RadarOnline.com, the Duke of Sussex said the change of pace brought an unexpected crash after years of living under pressure. “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,” Harry said. He recalled feeling unable to function around the house and said he experienced depression for about two weeks. He described the sensation as needing stress and adrenaline to keep his mind working. Harry said the move was intended to give him “some space away from everything” so he could think. Months later, he and Meghan announced they would step back from their roles as senior working members of the royal family. The couple settled in California in 2020, according to the article, and later returned to the UK with Archie and their daughter, Lilibet. The account also linked Harry’s emotional struggles to the grief he has carried since his mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, when he was 12. He said he spent years answering questions about his wellbeing by insisting he was fine, while feeling emotionally numb and shut down. Harry also reflected on how he understood Diana’s absence as a child. He said he had believed she had found a way to escape the pressures that damaged her life and might return in disguise. He described feeling disloyal when he experienced joy without her, as if sadness were proof of how much he missed her. Looking back, he said he came to believe that his mother would have wanted him to be happy.