Prince Harry says he never heard the words ‘therapy’ or ‘coaching’ in the royal family
The Duke of Sussex was a surprise guest at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco. The father of Archie and Lilibet previously spoke about his mental health to Oprah Winfrey.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prince Harry shared his experience of having a therapist after his life with the British royal family.
Wednesday night, the Duke of Sussex made a surprise appearance at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco. During his appearance, the 38-year-old got personal about his mental health.
"I have a coach. I wish I had two," the father of two admitted, as quoted by Financial Times correspondent David Lee’s Twitter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kurt Schrader, the CEO and co-founder of Shortcut, previously known as Clubhouse, also took to Twitter and confirmed Harry’s appearance. He shared a photo of the prince on stage with BetterUp’s Alexi Robichaux and entrepreneur Reid Hoffman.
"I have a coach. I wish I had two," Prince Harry said Wednesday night at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco. (Samir Hussein)
"Great to hear someone who you think grew up with everything talk about the need for therapy and coaching for everyone," Schrader tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Doron Weber, vice president and program director of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, also shed light on Harry’s commentary.
"Prince Harry says growing up in the royal family & and then spending 10 years in the military, he never heard the words ‘therapy’ or ‘coaching,’" Weber tweeted. "Then the blinkers came off and his life changed."
Mercy Corps CEO Tjada D’Oyen McKenna tweeted "wise words" from Harry.
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Prince Harry previously revealed that it was his wife Meghan Markle who encouraged him to seek therapy. (Photo by Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images)
"’From a boss standpoint, if you see your people as numbers, you will fail,’" said Harry, as quoted by D’Oyen. "’You can’t treat them as numbers, but folks who need a human connection to fire on all cylinders.’"
"Wise words from Prince Harry!" he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Emergency doctor Bon Ku noted that Harry discussed the idea of looking at mental health as a way to "[unlock] human potential" as opposed to just solely viewing it as "a mental illness."
Before the conference, BetterUp shared a photo of Harry and Robichaux on social media, revealing that they will discuss "why leaders need to focus on their mental fitness to scale their impact."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prince Harry joined BetterUp as a Chief Impact Officer in 2021. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE)
Harry serves as chief impact officer for BetterUp, a San Francisco-based company that works with employees on coaching and mental health services. In 2021, Harry wrote on a blog post that he joined BetterUp because he believes in the company’s mission of being proactive about mental health.
"Being attuned with your mind, and having a support structure around you, are critical to finding your own version of peak performance," he wrote.
This is not the first time Harry has been candid about his mental health.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last May, he co-created a docuseries titled "The Me You Can’t See" with Oprah Winfrey. In it, he described how therapy was not discussed within his family.
Prince Harry opened up about his mental health struggles in the docuseries ‘The Me You Can’t See,' which he co-created with Oprah Winfrey. (YouTube )
"It was only when a couple of people close to me started to say, 'This isn't normal behavior, perhaps you should look into this, or perhaps you should go and seek help,’" Harry recalled. "Now immediately, I was like, ‘I don't need help.’"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harry said his late 20s, specifically ages 28 to 30, were a "nightmare" period for him. That time was plagued with anxieties and exhaustion due to royal duties.
Then, in his early 30s, he met his future wife. He said it was the former American actress who encouraged him to seek therapy.
"It was meeting and being with Meghan [Markle], I knew that if I didn't do therapy and fix myself, that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in California with their son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 1. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
"That was the start of a learning journey for me," he continued. "I became aware that I'd been living in a bubble, within this family, within this institution, I was sort of almost trapped in a thought process or a mindset."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departures from royal duties began in 2020 over what they described as the British media’s intrusions and racist attitudes towards the former "Suits" star, 41. The family now resides in the coastal city of Montecito, California.