Prince Harry opens up about his mother’s death

General chat
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I’m sure many of you saw this news story over the weekend - Prince Harry opened up about his grief over Princess Diana’s death. He said that he shut down all his emotions for 20 years, and finally came close to a breakdown before seeking help.

What did you think? Can you relate to any of what Prince Harry said?

I thought it really highlighted what we so often hear on this site – that grief is devastating, but that not talking about it can make things even worse. It also shows how getting the right support is vital – whether that’s speaking to a counsellor or joining an online group like ours.

This story has certainly brought this issue of bereavement into the public eye. And perhaps seeing such a high profile person being so open about his feelings may have a positive impact in encouraging others to seek support.

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Hi.
I really related to what he said about hiding the grief and then processing it later being chaotic. My mum died 12 years ago and I only started letting myself feel the pain and think about her over the last couple of years. I certainly believe that his talking is a positive step forward for people in the UK to realise it’s okay to be vulnerable and feel.
At the same time, I still struggle with opening up to people about it because it’s so many years later and people don’t expect you to still be suffering daily from it.

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Thanks for sharing your story. It certainly sounds as though you have some things in common with Prince Harry in this respect, and it is interesting to hear how you related to his story.

You bring up a good point about people not always understanding the long-term impact of grief. There have been a few past conversations on this site about living with the loss of parent years later - you might like to take a look at these:

https://support.sueryder.org/community/coping-death-loved-one/i-still-miss-my-mum
https://support.sueryder.org/community/life-after-bereavement/i-cant-believe-shes-gone-even-after-10-years
https://support.sueryder.org/community/coping-death-loved-one/lost-my-mum-december-1995-when-i-was-10