Britain’s Prince Harry has spoken about his experience with depression during a six-week stay in Canada in 2019, a period when he and his wife, Meghan, were weighing their options regarding their roles in the royal family.
During an appearance on the MasterClass videocast Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss, Harry explained that he had spent years feeling emotionally disconnected and found it difficult to carry on with daily life after leaving the high-pressure atmosphere associated with his royal responsibilities.
“I’d spent so long emotionally numb to a large extent because nobody told me joy was still allowed,” he said.
Harry opens up about depression during Canada stay
Harry recalled that disagreements with other members of the royal family were intensifying when he and Meghan went to Canada for a six-week break in 2019.
He explained that moving away from the stressful setting led to what he called an adrenaline crash, following years of sustained pressure.
“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 said, according to media reports.
Harry revealed that he found routine daily activities difficult during this time and felt he could not function without the adrenaline brought on by stress.
“I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks, and I felt like I couldn’t function without adrenaline,” he said.
A few weeks after their Canadian break, Harry and Meghan returned to the UK and announced that they would step away from their roles as working members of the royal family.
Prince Harry opens up about his mother’s death
Prince Harry, the younger son of King Charles, has spoken about his mental health struggles and the enduring effects of losing his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997 when he was 12 years old.
During the videocast, Harry recalled feeling emotionally numb after his mother’s death and discussed how difficult it was for him to embrace happiness.
He has continued to speak openly about mental health and grief. However, relations between Harry and other members of the royal family, including his older brother, Prince William, remain strained.
The two brothers have maintained limited contact since Harry publicly criticised the royal family in interviews and in his memoir.
Harry and Meghan stepped away from their official royal duties in 2020 before relocating to California. According to the report, the couple returned to Britain in August 2026 with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
