Harry: ‘Meghan turned my life around’
The Prince’s decision to confront his past is thanks to his girlfriend – and her mum
Sometimes falling in love can bring out a totally different side of you, and for Prince Harry, it seems being with Meghan Markle has given him a new level of self-acceptance and confidence, allowing him to talk honestly about past struggles.
Harry, 32, started dating US actress Meghan, 35, in July, and last week he took the brave step of speaking out about his mental health. He admitted that not dealing with the trauma of the death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 12, led to years of “total chaos” in his late twenties. Harry finally started seeing a counsellor three years ago. This rare openness about his private life has seen Harry praised around the world for helping others start conversations about mental health. A nd a source tells
heat that it’s all thanks to Meghan. “Harry fell for Meghan partly because she’s so open, and has that American attitude of saying, ‘Let’s talk about our feelings.’ He comes from such a stiff-upperlip culture, but Meghan helped him open up about how growing up feeling closed off turned him into a party animal.”
It’s fair to say Meghan’s own Californian upbringing was a lot more relaxed. Until recently, she ran lifestyle blog The Tig, which was about self-acceptance and empowerment, and her mum, Doria Ragland, is a therapist.
The source adds, “Meghan encouraged Harry to see that, by speaking publicly about his difficult experience, he would really help others, and how being honest might even be a relief.
“No other woman has helped Harry so much emotionally. More than anything, Meghan’s been a great friend to him. He’s a different person to the man he was even just one year ago. He can finally be at ease with who he is when the cameras are on him.”
And Meghan may be interested to know that the prince – who now says he’s in a “good place” – also reiterated that he’d “love” kids, after years of dad practice with his “five or six” (best check that, Haz) godchildren.