Prince Harry Opens Up About Turning to Drugs and Alcohol to Cope With Princess Diana's Death | THR News - video Dailymotion

The 36-year-old recalled “trying to mask” his grief over losing his month on his and Oprah’s new Apple TV+ docuseries about mental-health awareness.

Transcript

00:00To make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness.

00:05In today's world, more than ever, it is a sign of strength.

00:09Prince Harry is opening up about turning to drugs and alcohol years after the death of his mother, Princess Diana,

00:15in the first episode of his new five-part docuseries about mental health awareness with Oprah Winfrey.

00:21All over the world, people are in some kind of mental, psychological, emotional pain.

00:27The series, titled The Me You Can't See, is now streaming on Apple TV+.

00:31For Harry, he was just 12 years old when his mother died in a car crash in August 1997 while being chased by paparazzi.

00:38He told Winfrey he didn't process his grief for years and wasn't encouraged to talk about it while growing up either.

00:43He said,

00:43If people said, how are you, I'd be like, fine, never happy, never sad, just fine.

00:49Fine was the easy answer, but I was all over the place mentally.

00:52According to Harry, matters worsened when it came time to embark on his royal duties.

00:55He told Winfrey,

00:57I was in fight-or-flight mode, panic attacks, severe anxiety, so 28 to probably 32 was a nightmare time in my life, freaking out.

01:05Harry revealed he turned to drugs and alcohol to cope.

01:07He said,

01:08I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, I was willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling.

01:14It was just four years ago that Harry finally sought therapy, a decision that he said was inspired by his wife, Meghan Markle.

01:19He told Winfrey,

01:20For more on this story, go to THR.com.

01:30For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.