Prince Harry says 'institution killed my mum' and made him want to give up royal role
Prince Harry made an appearance at the InterEdge Summit event in Australia on Thursday.
Prince Harry has revealed the heartbreaking impact that his late mother's death had on his feelings towards his role as a member of the Royal Family. The 41-year-old made an appearance at the InterEdge Summit on Thursday, the third day of his Australian tour with Meghan Markle.
Although Meghan was not in attendance at the summit, the 44-year-old has made several appearances with her husband since arriving Down Under on Tuesday. Harry's appearance was announced weeks prior to the event, with it held at the CENTREPIECE venue in Melbourne.
During his keynote speech at the event, Harry spoke of the impact of the much-loved royal's death in August 1997.
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The former working royal was just 12 at the time of Princess Diana's death, with his brother Prince William aged just 15.
He said in his speech: "In my experience, loss is disorienting at any age. Grief does not disappear because we ignore it. Experiencing that as a kid while in a goldfish bowl under constant surveillance, yes, that will have its challenges. And without purpose, it can break you."
The father-of-two added: "There have been many times when I’ve felt overwhelmed. Times when I’ve felt lost, betrayed, or completely powerless.
"Times when the pressure – externally and internally - felt constant. And times when, despite everything going on, I still had to show up pretending everything was okay, so as not to let anyone down."
He then bluntly blamed the institution for his late mother's death, adding that it made him not want to continue in his role as a member of the Royal Family.
Harry said: "I was like, ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role - wherever this is headed, I don’t like it. It killed my mum and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.
"Eventually I realised, well, hang on, if there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world?"
