The Harry & Oprah show
Pair team up with Apple to make TV series about mental health
PRINCE Harry and Oprah Winfrey are creating a landmark television series on mental health together, it was revealed yesterday.
The pair are to co-produce the documentary series for Apple and have been meeting in London for several months to discuss how to change attitudes towards mental illness.
Harry, 34, is expected to speak about how he struggled with the death of his mother, Princess Diana, after previously admitting he came ‘very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions’.
Plans for the series had been kept a closely-guarded secret but were announced on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram account yesterday.
Harry said he was ‘incredibly proud’ of his work with Miss Winfrey and felt a ‘huge responsibility’ to raise awareness of the importance of mental health.
He said: ‘I truly believe that good mental health... is the key to powerful leadership, productive communities and a purpose- driven self. It is a huge responsibility to get this right as we bring you the facts, the science and the awareness of a subject that is so relevant during these times.’
He added: ‘Our hope is that this series will be positive, enlightening and inclusive – sharing global stories of unparalleled human spirit fighting back from the darkest places, and the opportunity for us to understand ourselves and those around us better.’ The American chat show queen, 65, was a guest at Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle last year.
She and the prince will be cocreators and co-producers on the documentary series, which is due to air worldwide on the new Apple subscription service next year.
The involvement of a member of the Royal Family is a major coup for Apple as it seeks to take on rivals Netflix and Amazon. There are no immediate plans for the Duchess of Sussex to be involved in the series. Meghan, 37, is due to give birth to the couple’s first child within weeks.
Harry launched the mental health charity Heads Together in 2017 with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. He then revealed he had sought counselling to help him cope with his mother’s death, after struggling with feelings of ‘total chaos’ and anxiety. Harry is expected to speak on camera as part of the documentary series – although no final decision has been taken.
He is also understood to have asked for his fee to be donated to mental health organisations.
Kensington Palace said the series would build on the duke’s years of work on mental health, including Heads Together and his commitment to ensuring that British military veterans receive mental health support.
Miss Winfrey, who has spoken about her own experiences with depression, said she asked the prince to get involved after he told her that mental health and climate change were the two most important issues in the world today during a conversation.
Talking about Harry, she told US broadcaster CBS yesterday: ‘It’s a passion of his. We’ve had several meetings. We’ve had secret meetings in London.’
She added that she hoped the series ‘will have an impact on reducing the stigma and allowing people to know they are not alone, allowing people to speak up about it and identify it for themselves and their friends’.