Prince Harry has spoken about losing his mother, Princess Diana, and how he once hoped she would return.
In a MasterClass conversation with Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor on Thursday, October 8, Harry said he used to believe Diana had disappeared to escape the pressures in her life. He imagined she would come back in disguise and take him and his brother away.
Dr. O’Connor explained that the brain can struggle to accept the death of someone close. Strong emotional bonds can leave people expecting their loved one to return, even when they know the person has died.
“You’re not crazy,” she reassured him, explaining that these feelings are connected to how the brain holds on to close relationships.
Harry also spoke about feeling guilty whenever he experienced happiness after his mother’s death. For a long time, he felt emotionally numb and believed he needed to stay sad to show how much he missed her.
Over time, he came to believe that his mother would have wanted him to be happy. He said this changed his outlook and helped him feel free to enjoy life again.
Harry said he hopes Diana would be proud of him. He also explained that the work he has chosen often reflects the causes she cared about, even though he had not planned it that way.
He said carrying his mother’s memory with him gives him energy and purpose in his work.
Princess Diana died in a car accident in August 1997, when Harry was 12.
