Prince Harry opens up on ‘stuff from the past I needed to deal with’ | Royal | News
The Duke of Sussex meets with Western Bulldogs representatives at Western Bulldogs Headquarters at Whitten Oval in Footscray, Melbourne, during his Movember visit (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA)
Prince Harry spoke candidly about his own personal struggles during a visit to men’s health charity Movember in Melbourne.
The Duke of Sussex welcomed event staff to Whitten Oval, the training and administrative headquarters of Australian rules football club Western Bulldogs, on Wednesday morning.
Movember’s director of global men’s health research, Dr. In an onstage discussion with Zac Seidler, Harry said parents need to adapt to how social media is reshaping family life.
“Frankly, there was no social media 40 years ago,” he said.
Harry was interviewed onstage during his appearance at Movember (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA)
“This is just one example of the conversations now taking place in homes between children and their parents that never existed between me and my family.”
Harry said he “felt a disconnect” in his early days as a father.
He said: “It was my wife who created life and I was there to witness it. I think for many men at this point you wonder what service I can offer, because my job here is done to some extent.”
“And then when it came up again, I think the biggest tip I was given from my therapist in the UK was to be aware of how you feel when the baby is born.”
She spoke about the evolving roles of parents, telling guests: “From my perspective, our children are our next level up.
“I wasn’t taught that way, but that’s my opinion; I’m not saying I’m one step above my father or my children are one above me.
“That’s my approach, knowing that the way the world is going, the kids we’re raising in today’s world need to be elevated to the next level.”
Harry also talked about how important therapy was for his mental health.
“I knew there were things from the past that I needed to deal with,” he said.
“For me, there’s an element of choosing therapy because you think there’s something going on or there’s something that needs to be fixed.
“There’s also another form of therapy that’s preventative and gets in the way of this. You don’t have to wait until you’re lying in the fetal position on the kitchen floor.”
Harry kicks Australian rules football as he meets Western Bulldogs players (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA)
Founded in Melbourne in 2003, the Movember movement is a global charity focused on improving men’s health, particularly in relation to mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
The campaign, which featured men growing mustaches throughout November to raise awareness, raised hundreds of millions of pounds in more than 20 countries; “Mo” is commonly used as slang for moustache in Australia.
Since its founding, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects worldwide.
It came after the couple embraced patients at a children’s hospital where hundreds of people turned out to greet them at the start of their visit to Australia on Tuesday.
Harry and Meghan spoke to children and posed for photos with patients as they were applauded by large crowds gathered along the walkways of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Australian National Veterans Art Museum (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA)
Following their hospital visit, Harry and Meghan wore olive green outfits when they stopped at the Australian National Veterans Art Museum on Tuesday afternoon.
The couple donned aprons and took part in a pottery session with veterans’ children, known to the museum as “doves”, as Meghan made a clay ostrich.
