Prince Harry admitted that he “slipped into depression” after leaving the UK and moving to Canada with Meghan Markle and their son.
The Duke of Sussex described the experience as an “adrenaline crash.” Harry explained that years of stress had kept his body running on adrenaline. When that stress suddenly disappeared, he said he felt miserable and unable to function normally.
Prince Harry reveals depression after moving to Canada with Meghan Markle
Harry said, “Being in Canada, away from the stressful environment where presumably my body was just pumped full of adrenaline, within two or three days, I experienced this adrenaline crash, something that I’d never experienced before.” He added, “It was as if I needed stress in order to get the adrenaline to make my brain function because I became useless around the house.”
“I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks and I felt like I couldn’t function without adrenaline,” he added.
As per People, the couple moved to Canada at the end of 2019 before stepping away from their royal duties in 2020. According to Harry, the move gave them “some space away from everything just to be able to think.”
Harry spoke in detail about the mental health impact of the move in a MasterClass titled “Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss” with neuroscientist Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor.
Harry also opened up about his unprocessed grief over Princess Diana’s death. “For 15, 20 years, when I was being asked, ‘Are you okay?’ My response was, ‘I’m fine.’ It was numbness, emotional shutdown,” he explained. “And without knowing it, adrenaline was pushing me, was driving me.”
Harry also credited his military years with helping him confront deep trauma and panic attacks. He recalled feeling as though his shirt collar tightened around his neck and caused him to suffocate.
He also discussed the grief and guilt he carried after his mother’s death. However, Harry concluded that being happy did not mean being disloyal to Princess Diana.
As he put it, “But the reality is, what I discovered was actually that she just wanted me to be happy. And that was a huge mental shift for me. It freed me, and it gave me a whole different outlook on life.”
