The Duke of Sussex has admitted feeling “lost, betrayed, or completely powerless” during a powerful keynote speech in Melbourne on Thursday.
Prince Harry delivered the address at the InterEdge Summit, where he discussed mental health in the workplace.
The 44-year-old, who had his wife, Meghan Markle, watching on in the audience, told the crowd 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”.
“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 s**t together,” he said.
“Or as someone who, despite what it may look like, actually doesn’t have his s**t 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.
“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.
The Duke of Sussex has admitted feeling ‘lost, betrayed, or completely powerless’ during a powerful keynote speech in Melbourne on Thursday
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“And without purpose, it can break you.”
The duke discussed grief in a later discussion with Australian business leader and former politician Brendan Nelson, in which he revealed hesitations about his royal role following the tragic death of his mother in 1997.
He continued: “There have been many times when I’ve felt overwhelmed.
“Times when I’ve felt lost, betrayed, or completely powerless.
‘There have been many times when I’ve felt overwhelmed,’ the prince revealed
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“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.”
The speech, which headlined a “transformative” two-day summit on mental health and wellbeing, came during the couple’s third day of their private tour in Australia.
Earlier on Thursday, the couple visited Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology, with mental health also on the agenda.
Speaking to a group of youngsters linked with Australian mental health organisation Batyr, Meghan claimed she is the “most trolled person in the entire world”.
“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,” she told the group.
“So you have to be stronger than that.”