Like so many children that have lost a parent, Prince Harry understands the overwhelming desire to bottle up and not talk about your grief.
But now, the royal wants his voice to be heard.
Continuing his support of the mental health charity Heads Together, the 31-year-old hosted a BBQ at Kensington Palace.
Talking to a variety of British sporting stars, the former military man touched on the importance of voicing your problems.
But it was a chat with former England soccer player, Rio Ferdinand, that resonated with so many.
Watch Harry’s candid conversation in the video player below… Post continues!
Rio, who lost his wife to cancer last year, asked Harry for advice on how to discuss his grief with his three children.
“Everything can be okay, but I really regret not ever talking about it for the first 28 years of my life,” the Prince admitted.
“I never talked about it.”
While the day was filled with laughter, burgers and even a game of cricket, there was a sense of seriousness as Harry used the event to highlight that anyone, regardless of status, achievements or appearance to the outside world, can suffer from mental health issues.
“It is okay to suffer, but as long as you talk about it. It is not a weakness. Weakness is having a problem and not recognizing it and not solving that problem,” he quipped.
Reiterating his stance, he added “Everyone can suffer from mental health, whether you’re a member of the royal family, whether you’re a soldier or a sports star.”
Harry spoke to some of Britain’s biggest sporting legacies about their personal battles with mental health.
No stranger to hardship, the royal was just 12 years old, and William, 15, when their mother Princess Diana passed away in 1997.
The huge loss spurred Harry’s ongoing efforts to continue the people’s princess’ legacy.
“All I want to do is make my mother incredibly proud,” he said back in May during a chat to People.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
“When she died there was a gaping hole, not just for us but also for a huge amount of people across the world,” he admitted.
“If I can try and fill a very small part of that, then job done. I will have to, in a good way, spend the rest of my life trying to fill that void as much as possible. And so will William.”
Both of Diana’s boys, along with Will’s wife Duchess Catherine, are passionate about ending the stigma surrounding mental health – which is why they combined their efforts and founded the charity Heads Together.
Check out the royal trio talking about their work with Heads Together.
This story originally appeared on Woman’s Day Australia
