Prince Harry says he didn’t want royal role as it ‘killed my mum’ before changing mind
On the third day of their trip to Australia, Prince Harry made an emotional keynote speech at a summit in Melbourne, after Meghan Markle opened up about online trolling
Harry at the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Harry said he previously didn’t want his royal role as it “killed my mum” before changing his perspective.
The Duke of Sussex made the remarks on the third day of his and Meghan’s trip to Australia after he gave a keynote speech at the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne on “leadership, psychosocial safety and human connection in the workplace”.
Watched on by Meghan, who said earlier today that she was “the most trolled person in the entire world ”, Harry opened up about the grief of losing his mother, Princess Diana, just before his 13th birthday and how he had felt “lost, betrayed, or completely powerless” during his life.
Harry delivered a keynote speech at the summit in Melbourne(Image: Getty Images)
After the speech, where he talked about “not having his s*** together”, he took part in a discussion with Australian business leader and former politician Brendan Nelson, Harry said: “After my mum died just before my 13th birthday – I was like: ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role – wherever this is headed, I don’t like it.’
“It killed my mum and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years. Eventually I realised – well, hang on, if there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world? And also, what would my mum want me to do? And that really changed my own perspective.”
Earlier, the Duke told those present in the Centrepiece conference venue that there was a “lot in the world right now leaving us feeling anxious, stressed, helpless, powerless and completely overwhelmed”. Wearing a jacket and white shirt, Harry said: “When I was invited to speak at this summit, I wasn’t sure whether I was expected to speak as someone who, despite everything, has their sh** together.
“Or as someone who, despite what it may look like, actually doesn’t have his sh** together. “But I was struck by something quite simple – that while my experiences may be unusual, the feelings that come with them are not. In my experience, loss is disorienting at any age.
Harry and Meghan during an earlier visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement programme(Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)
Meghan said she has been “the most trolled person in the entire world”(Image: Getty Images)
“Grief does not disappear because we ignore it. Experiencing that as a kid while in a goldfish bowl under constant surveillance, yes, that will have its challenges. And without purpose, it can break you.”
Harry continued: “There have been many times when I’ve felt overwhelmed. Times when I’ve felt lost, betrayed, or completely powerless. Times when the pressure – externally and internally – felt constant.
“And times when, despite everything going on, I still had to show up pretending everything was ok, so as not to let anyone down. “For many years I was numb to it, and perhaps that was easier then, but I also didn’t yet have the tools to deal with it.”
Delegate tickets for the summit were available for £525, with platinum tickets costing £1,250 and a virtual ticket allowing on-demand access to Harry’s speech costing £260. It is understood that Harry was not paid a fee for his speech, nor was Meghan paid for her appearance on MasterChef Australia, which she filmed on Wednesday in Melbourne.
Harry’s emotional comments came after Meghan said she was “bullied and attacked” every day for 10 years during a discussion with young people associated with Australian mental health organisation Batyr at Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology.
Meghan meets representatives from the Koorie Heritage Trust before taking part in the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne(Image: PA)
Harry told the young people gathered that social media had “led to so much loneliness for so many people”. Discussing the benefits of therapy with them, Harry said: “I waited until I was literally in the fetal position, much older, lying on the kitchen floor. Until I was like, ok maybe this therapy thing – maybe I should try it.”
Speaking in a classroom on the third day of her Australian visit, Meghan said social media companies were “not incentivised to stop”. “And I can speak to that really personally, which is why I like to listen, because it rings true for me in a very real way,” she said.
“For now, 10 years, every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked. And I was the most trolled person in the entire world.” The duchess added: “Now, I’m still here.
“And when I think of all of you and what you’re experiencing, I think so much of that is having to realise that you know that industry, that billion-dollar industry, that is completely anchored and predicated on cruelty to get clicks – that’s not going to change. So you have to be stronger than that.”
Harry chats to families on the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier today, Harry and Meghan kicked off their third day of the trip by taking part in the Scar Tree Walk, which connects traditional and contemporary Aboriginal cultures and the histories of the local Kulin Peoples.
A scar tree, also known as a canoe tree or shield tree, has had bark removed by Aboriginal Australians for the creation of bark canoes, shelters, weapons, tools, traps and containers.
The couple was surrounded by a scrum of local press photographers and video journalists, as a helicopter flew above. Five police officers arrived as growing ranks of media encircled the couple on a gloriously sunny morning in Melbourne.
The walk was led by local Indigenous guides, beginning at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Melbourne’s Federation Square. Koorie is a term which refers to Indigenous people from Victoria and parts of New South Wales.
The duke and duchess stopped to pose for selfies while joggers and cyclists looked stunned to see the pair strolling through one of the city’s most popular running routes.
