Prince Harry says he remained ’emotionally numb’ for years after Diana’s death

Prince Harry has spoken about the lasting impact of his mother Princess Diana's death, saying he spent years feeling emotionally numb and did not cry for nearly two decades after she died in a car crash in 1997.

Prince Harry has spoken about the lasting impact of his mother Princess Diana’s death, saying he spent years feeling emotionally numb and did not cry for nearly two decades after she died in a car crash in 1997.

Harry, who was 12 when Diana died in Paris aged 36, discussed his experience of grief in a MasterClass session titled Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss, in conversation with neuroscientist Dr Mary-Frances O’Connor.

In a video promoting the course, Harry said he could no longer remember his mother’s laugh or what she looked like.

“I felt like I had to be sad in order to prove to her that I missed her,” he said.

Harry also described trying to avoid confronting his emotions during his military service.

“In my 20s, I went to war twice thinking I could outrun my feelings. But that’s not what happened,” he said.

He said he had spent a long time feeling emotionally numb because he had not understood that experiencing happiness did not mean he was betraying his mother’s memory.

The session explores grief and ways of coping with loss. O’Connor, a neuroscientist who studies grief, joins Harry in discussing how people can process bereavement and build resilience.