Prince Harry opens up about dealing with mum's death
Britain's Prince Harry suffered "total chaos" before eventually seeking help to deal with the death of his mother, Princess Diana, he said in an interview published yesterday.
Speaking to The Telegraph newspaper, the 32-year-old royal said he spent years trying to ignore his emotions following her death in 1997 when he was just 12.
"My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help? It is only going to make you sad. It is not going to bring her back," he said.
It was not until he was 28 that he sought help from mental health professionals after encouragement from others, including "huge support" from his older brother, Prince William.
"It was 20 years of not thinking about it and then two years of total chaos... I did not know what was wrong with me," Prince Harry said.
Prince William and his wife Kate are campaigning along with Prince Harry to end stigma around mental health, supporting charities through their Heads Together initiative.
Prince Harry said that once he started talking about how he felt, he discovered he was "part of quite a big club" and encouraged others to open up.
He said he also tackled the pressures of a royal life, including overcoming a feeling of "fight or flight" during engagements.
Describing himself as "a problem" through much of his 20s, Prince Harry said that aside from seeking treatment, he found that boxing helped. - AFP
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