Journalism of Courage
This is an archive article published on March 8, 2023
‘I know my mum felt the same’: Prince Harry on always feeling ‘slightly different’ from the rest of the royal family
"A lot of families are complicated, a lot of families are dysfunctional, but for me when I was doing therapy regularly... I felt that I learned a new language," the Duke of Sussex said
Prince Harry opens up about not fitting in, just like his mother (Source: AP and Reuters)
Nearly two months after the release of his explosive memoir Spare, which made some shocking revelations about the private affairs of the British royal family, Prince Harry participated in a virtual book event with Dr Gabor Mate recently. As the duo discussed the importance of personal healing, the Duke of Sussex revealed his feelings of not fitting in with the rest of the family, just like his late mother, Princess Diana.
“Certainly throughout my life, throughout my younger years, I always felt slightly different to the rest of my family,” he said. “I felt strange being in this container, and I know that my mum felt the same. It makes sense to me — it didn’t make sense at the time — I felt as though my body was in there, but my head was out, but sometimes it was vice-versa.”
Harry added that he felt a pull whenever he tried to showcase his true self to the world. “The times that I ventured towards being myself, being my authentic true self, whether it was through media or family or whatever it was, it was almost like, ‘Don’t be yourself, come back to what you’re expected to be,’ if that makes sense,” he said.
A person looks at a copy of Britain’s Prince Harry’s autobiography ‘Spare’ displayed at Waterstones bookstore, in London. (REUTERS/Peter Nicholls)
Opening up about his much-talked-about book, which created ripples of shock everywhere, he said that it was “an act of service”. The duke said, “I really hope, and I hoped right from the beginning, when I turned around to the people that were helping me write this book, I said, ‘I want this to be an act of service, it needs to be, because I know important it is, because you’re almost giving permission for people to talk about their own stuff, and be their own selves, and society doesn’t really help us. And I would say even more so within my family, because of the expectations and because of how you’re cast as individuals.”
During the conversation, the 38-year-old once again talked of the importance of therapy and how it helped him. “A lot of families are complicated, a lot of families are dysfunctional, but for me when I was doing therapy regularly… I felt that I learned a new language. This is working for me and I’m starting to go back to the point of trauma and unpack everything so I can be truly happy… but at the same time I’m feeling more and more distant from my loved ones and my family.”
As for how the lack of physical contact during his growing up years — which he has revealed in his memoir — shaped his parenting philosophy, Harry said, “It leaves me in the position how as a father, I have two kids of my own, making sure that I smother them with love and affection. But in the sense that I as a father feel a huge responsibility to ensure that I don’t pass on any traumas or negative experiences I’ve had. And that’s work, that’s putting in the work, and daily, being conscious of my behaviour, of my reactions to both of my kids.”
📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement
Live Blog