According to People magazine, in “The Me You Can’t See,” which debuted on Apple TV+ on Thursday night, the 36-year-old royal said he developed “a fear of losing” after his mother, Princess Diana, died in 1997. His wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, inspired him to start seeing a therapist early into their relationship, which began in 2016, he said.
“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,” Harry said of the duchess, who was known as Meghan Markle before the pair wed in May 2018.
The series’ release comes more than two months after Meghan, 39, and Harry opened up about the difficulties of royal life in a televised interview with Winfrey. In the two-hour special, the pair discussed their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family and move to California with their now 2-year-old son, Archie, last year. They also spoke about racism, feeling “trapped,” the British tabloids and the mental health challenges – including suicidal thoughts – that Meghan faced as a result. Following the interview, Buckingham Palace officials released a statement on Queen Elizabeth II’s behalf, saying the royal family was “saddened” by the revelations.
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Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, from left, and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, in conversation with Oprah Winfrey. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP)
Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaking about expecting their second child during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. "Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special" airs March 7 as a two-hour exclusive primetime special on the CBS Television Network. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP)
Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in conversation with Oprah Winfrey. "Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special" airs March 7, 2021. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP, File)
Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, left, speaking with Oprah Winfrey during an interview. "Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special" airs March 7 as a two-hour exclusive primetime special on the CBS Television Network. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP)
Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, left, in conversation with Oprah Winfrey. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP)
Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey This photo illustration shows people wearing face masks, watch a televised conversation between Britain's Prince Harry with his wife Meghan Markle and US host Oprah Winfrey, in Arlington, Virginia, March 7, 2021. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey This photo illustration shows people wearing face masks, watch a televised conversation between Meghan Markle and US host Oprah Winfrey, in Arlington, Virginia, March 7, 2021. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey This photo illustration shows people wearing face masks, watch a televised conversation between Meghan Markle and US host Oprah Winfrey, in Arlington, Virginia, March 7, 2021. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey Australian television news in Sydney, Monday, March 8, 2021, reports on an interview of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Photos: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry open up about royal rift in interview with Oprah Winfrey Australian television news in Sydney, Monday, March 8, 2021, reports on an interview of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
In the new series, Harry recounted how Meghan first told him about her suicidal ideations before a 2019 event at London’s Royal Albert Hall, when she was pregnant with Archie.
“Earlier that evening, Meghan decided to share with me the suicidal thoughts and the practicalities of how she was going to end her life,” Harry said, according to “Entertainment Tonight.” “The scariest thing for her was her clarity of thought.”
He added: “The thing that stopped her from seeing it through was how unfair it would be to me after everything that happened to my mum, and to now be put in the position of losing another woman in my life with a baby inside of her, our baby.”
The pair decided that their mental health needed to take priority – for the sake of their son.
“That was one of the biggest reasons to leave, feeling trapped and feeling controlled by fear, both by the media and by the system itself, which never encouraged talking about this kind of trauma,” Harry said, according to “ET.”
