PRINCE Harry has spoken of “numbing pain” through substance abuse after revealing he took drugs to mask the pain of losing Princess Diana.
The royal, 36, shared a candid chat with Robin Williams’ son Zak in a bonus episode of his Apple TV series The Me You Can’t See.
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Zak revealed how he turned to alcohol after his actor dad tragically took his own life in 2014 but has now been sober for four years.
He said: “Really it was me drinking, things I used to mask my experience. That was all exasperated over time specifically with my dad dying by suicide.”
Harry tells the latest show:
- He ‘loves to see’ families ‘thrive’ as they discuss mental health – after revealing he was met with ‘neglect’ by Royals
- Harry’s ‘learned’ families feel ‘SHAME’ when they hear of mental health woes in a dig at royals
- That ‘listening’ can help people suffering from suicidal thoughts – after revealing wife Meghan considered taking her own life
- He has a ‘shared experience’ with Robin Williams’ son as they both saw ‘people grieving more’ for their parents than they could
- That climate change and mental health are ‘linked’
Harry praised Zak for turning his life around and said he “wished” Jumanji star Robin was alive still to see the “remarkable” man he’s become.
He added: “Me and Oprah have talked about this consistently, especially around substance abuse.
“It is trying to numb that feeling that you feel or trying to give yourself a different feeling to how you are actually feeling.
“So to be able to say no to that and to focus so much on your own growth, leaning and healing and the process while helping others, full respect. I think it is remarkable.”
Harry previously opened up about his own issues with drugs after his mum’s death in 1997.
He revealed on the first episode of The Me You Can’t See how he was regularly “drinking a week’s worth of alcohol in one day” to “mask the pain”.
Harry said: “I 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.
“But I slowly became aware that, okay, I wasn’t drinking Monday to Friday, but I would probably drink a week’s worth in one day on a Friday or a Saturday night.
“And I would find myself drinking, not because I was enjoying it but because I was trying to mask something.”
Zak and Harry’s chat featured in the latest episode of his bombshell mental health documentary The Me You Can’t See that aired on Apple TV overnight.
Titled “A Path Forward,” it features him and co-producer Oprah in a town-hall set-up describing the making of the series – which caused a fresh Royal rift upon its release last week.
Harry says he “learned” families can “feel shame” when they hear of someone’s mental health problems in another thinly-veiled dig at the Royals.
And he revealed how “listening” helped Meghan Markle in her suicide battle as he urged: “You’re not alone”.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
