Prince Harry says serving in army triggered unknown trauma around Diana's death

30 August 2023 , 22:19

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Prince Harry said the army triggered trauma he was 'never really aware of'

Prince Harry has revealed his time serving in the army triggered "trauma" from his mother Diana, Princess of Wales's death.

The Duke of Sussex has opened up on his tour of Afghanistan and ten years in the armed forces. During that time, he served on the front line twice. Harry has since shared the impact his time in the military had on his mental health. He specifically shared how he became aware of just how much his mother's death had impacted him once he left the army.

Princess Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in 1997 when Harry was just 12 years old and brother Prince William was 15. Harry shared: "I can only speak from my personal experience. My tour of Afghanistan in 2012 flying Apaches, somewhere after that there was an unravelling, and the trigger to me was actually returning from Afghanistan but the stuff that was coming up was from 1997, from the age of 12."

Prince Harry served in the army for ten years (Getty Images)

Speaking in his new Netflix docuseries, Heart of Invictus, the Duke added: "Losing my mum at such a young age, the trauma that I had, I was never really aware of. It was never discussed, I didn’t really talk about it, and I’ve suppressed it like most youngsters would have done. But then when it all came fizzing out, I was bouncing off the walls. I was like, 'What is going on here?' I was feeling everything rather than being numb."

The Prince claimed he had "no support structure" following his mother's death. He said: "The biggest struggle for me was the people. No one around me could really help. I didn't have that support structure, that network or that expert advice to identify what was really going on with me."

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Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997 (Getty Images)

Harry continued: "Unfortunately, like most of us, the first time you really consider therapy is when you're lying on the floor in the foetal position, probably wishing that you'd dealt with some of this stuff previously. And that's what I really want to change."

In his show, Harry also opened up to Canadian Invictus Games competitor Darrell Ling. He shared: "I had that moment in my life where I didn't know about it but because of the trauma of losing my mum when I was 12, for all those years, I had no emotion, I was unable to cry, I was unable to feel. I didn't know it at the time."

The five-part series follows a group of competitors from around the globe in the Invictus Games, with all athletes being service members who have experienced life-changing injuries or illnesses before taking part in the delayed Invictus Games in The Hague last year. The show forms part of the Sussexes' multimillion-pound deal with Netflix – with their main output so far having been last year's controversial Harry & Meghan documentary.

And even though this series focuses more on the competitors and their stories rather than the Duke and Duchess, there are still many revealing moments, including a dig about military uniform and when Meghan can be seen attempting to soothe Harry's nerves ahead of a glitzy event.

Mia O'Hare