Prince Harry opens up on ‘unresolved traumas’ in new documentary with Oprah Winfrey

Prince Harry has given a greater insight into his emotional struggles as Kate Middleton says she wants to “end the stigma” around mental health.

Prince Harry has spoken about his “unresolved traumas”, adding “we’re all human”, ahead of an upcoming TV series on mental health that he co-produced with Oprah Winfrey.

The Me You Can’t See documentarywill finally launch on May 21 on Apple TV+ after being delayed due during COVID and the fallout of his exit from the royal family.

The hotly anticipated date was announced on Monday (US time), with Prince Harry saying he hopes his latest project shows “there is power in vulnerability”.

“We are born into different lives, brought up in different environments, and as a result are exposed to different experiences,” he said.

“But our shared experience is that we are all human.

Prince Harry has co-produced a documentary on mental health with Oprah Winfrey. Picture: Getty Images

“The majority of us carry some form of unresolved trauma, loss, or grief, which feels – and is – very personal.

“Yet the last year has shown us that we are all in this together and my hope is that this series will show there is power in vulnerability, connection in empathy and strength in honesty.”

Prince Harry, who is expecting his second child with wife Meghan Markle, co-created and executive produced the series with Winfrey.

It comes after The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke candidly to Winfrey about their mental health during their bombshell interview back in March.

The Me You Can't See, a new documentary produced by Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey, will be released on May 21. Picture: Apple TV

According to a statement ahead of the series, the pair are set to “guide honest discussions about mental health and emotional wellbeing” while opening up about “their own mental health journeys and struggles” throughout the series.

They have also partnered with 14 experts and organisations to “shed light on different pathways to treatment”.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with Archie, are expecting their second child in the next couple of months. Picture: Getty Images

Winfrey said: “Now more than ever, there is an immediate need to replace the shame surrounding mental health with wisdom, compassion and honesty.

“Our series aims to spark that global conversation.”

A host of celebrities and mental health advocates will join them, with Lady Gaga and actress Glenn Close expected to chat to Prince Harry about their experiences.

Other well-known guests to be featured are San Antonio Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan, mental health advocate and speaker Zak Williams, Olympic boxer Virginia Fuchs and celebrity chef Rashad Armstead.

During their series, Prince Harry and Winfrey will speak with people from across the globe living with the challenges of mental health issues.

They will address their emotional wellbeing, while trying to “destigmatise a highly misunderstood subject and give hope to viewers”.

Meghan Markle also appeared in a filmed message, which was shot at her California home. Picture: Instagram

Speaking to CBS in the US earlier this year about the project, Winfrey said: “I asked [Prince Harry] the question, ‘What do you think are the most important issues facing the world right now?’ and he said there are two.

“He said climate change and mental wellness, mental fitness and mental health. As you know, he’s spoken about his own issues and what he went through after his mother died and how being able to talk about it has benefited him.

“So it’s a passion of his and, at the end of the conversation, I said, ‘Oh, I’m going to be doing this thing with Apple.’

“‘It’s a big concern of mine too and I want to try to erase the stigma,’ and he said at the end of the conversation, ‘If there’s anything I can do to help.’”

It comes as the Sussexes donated nappies, supplies, and other items in celebration of Mother’s Day.

Both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have opened up about their own mental health challenges. Picture: AFP

“Today, we are thrilled to have the support of Archewell Foundation, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Procter & Gamble, who are donating diapers, cleaning supplies, and other essential items to ensure that the moms and babies at Harvest Home are celebrated all throughout the year,’ the caption of the post reads,” the organisation said on Instagram.

The Instagram announcement included a letter from the Duchess of Sussex who hailed the organisation’s work.

Meghan Markle appeared in a charity video showing off her baby bump. Picture: Instagram

“As a [mother[, and an expectant [mother], I deeply appreciate the significance of community support, safe and accessible pregnancy resources, and trusted guidance in a nurturing setting,” Meghan said.

“These ingredients are essential to not just our physical health, but our mental wellbeing, and I commend you for leading a compassionate community that lives these values.

“When we consider how vulnerable any mother feels during the fragile time of pregnancy, we gain perspective about how especially difficult it can be for pregnant women of colour and those who come from under-resourced and vulnerable communities,” she added.

Earlier, Meghan posed in bling worth $A42,000 as she showed off her baby bump for the first time.

The Duchess of Sussex, whose jewellery included a women’s power necklace, cradled her stomach on a US celeb TV fundraiser.

Meghan Markle is due to give birth in the next two months. Picture: Supplied

KATE WANTS TO ‘BREAK THE STIGMA’ AROUND MENTAL HEALTH

Meanwhile, Kate Middleton said she wants to “break the stigma” around talking about mental health in a touching phone call with a teenager and her mum.

The Duchess of Cambridge chatted with Niaz Maleknia and her daughter Romy, who features in her Hold Still photography project, according to a report in The Sun.

In the call, which was shared on Kate and Prince William’s YouTube channel, the duchess thanked Niaz for “highlighting how much young people have been affected by lockdown”.

She said: “William and I are really interested in mental health. Everyone’s sort of experienced something together in a way, so there’s no shame in talking about it.

Kate Middleton wants to "end the stigma" around mental health. Picture: YouTube

“That’s what we’ve been really keen to do, is break that stigma and try to start a conversation around mental health.”

Romy said lockdown has been “difficult” for her and her friends.

Asked by the duchess how young people were “managing with all this change” Romy said some had “struggled” with their mental health during the pandemic but were prepared to talk about their problems.

She said: “I think people have become more open about it because it’s so common now that people have struggled with it, and it’s natural to struggle with it in these circumstances.”

A photo of Romy holding an exam paper, titled Cancelled, features in Kate’s lockdown photography project and was taken by mum Niaz on the what should have been her daughter’s final day of exams.

Prince William and Kate Middleton launched their own YouTube channel earlier this month. Picture: YouTube

The clip of Kate’s chat with the family was one of a series of phone calls that the duchess held with participants from the project in the Autumn last year.

Kate spoke to a number of the 100 finalists who shared their experiences of life during the first Covid lockdown.

The touching conversation on YouTube follows the publication of Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020.

– with The Sun

Originally published as Prince Harry opens up on ‘unresolved traumas’ in new documentary with Oprah Winfrey