Harry reveals Meghan first suggested therapy during an argument

‘I knew that if I didn’t do the therapy and fix myself, that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with,’ said Harry

(AFP via Getty Images)

Prince Harry has said that he first realised he needed therapy after his wife, Meghan Markle, suggested it during an argument.

The Duke of Sussex spoke candidly about his mental health in his new docuseries with Oprah Winfrey, which was released on Apple TV Plus on Friday.

In the first episode, he revealed his feelings about his mother, Princess Diana’s sudden death when he was 12 years old and explained he had “suppressed” his emotions for years.

But it was in his late 20s, when “everything became really hectic for me” and Harry experienced burnout that the “lid came off”.

Harry, now 36, said he knew if he did not go to therapy, he would risk losing “this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with”.

Asked if there was an “incident” that “forced you to say ‘I need help’”, Harry said: “I saw GPs, I saw doctors, I saw therapists, I saw alternative therapists. I saw all sorts of people, but it was meeting and being with Meghan.”

He did not divulge what the argument was about, but he said Meghan suggested he needed to seek professional help after he “reverted back to 12-year-old Harry”.

“It was probably in my second session, my therapist turned to me and said, that sounds like you revering to 12-year-old Harry,” he said.

“I felt somewhat ashamed and defensive, like how dare you, you’re calling me a child?

“And she said I’m not calling you a child, I’m expressing sympathy and empathy for you and for what happened when you were a child.

“You never processed it, you were never allowed to talk about it, and all of a sudden now, it’s coming up in different ways as projection.”

In the earlier episode, Harry described feeling “so angry with what happened” when Diana died, as well as being frustrated there had been “no justice at all”.

Beginning therapy four years ago was “the start of a learning journey” for him, he said, adding: “I became aware I had been living in a bubble within this family, this institution and I was almost trapped in a thought process or mindset.”

The series sees Harry and Oprah speaking to people, both famous and not, about their mental health journeys to highlight the need to talk about the issue.

They are joined by Lady Gaga, Glenn Close and a host of other people telling diverse stories of mental health and emotional wellbeing.

The Me You Can’t See is available to watch on Apple TV Plus from Friday 21 May.