Prince Harry is sharing his childhood grief and memories of his mother, Diana, in a 20-lesson Masterclass course on coping with loss, raising questions about why he continues to publicize deeply personal experiences despite years of seeking privacy from the media.
Lessons on Loss and Repressed Memories
Prince Harry was twelve years old when his mother, Diana, died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. While millions mourned the princess, her youngest son suppressed his feelings and did not cry when told of her death, later crying only at her funeral a week later and then going nearly two decades without shedding a tear.
Nearly 30 years after that loss, the prince appears in a paid online course titled “Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss” on the U.S. learning platform Masterclass. Spanning 20 lessons over just under 100 minutes, Harry speaks alongside neuroscientist and grief researcher Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor about repressed emotions, early loss, and coping mechanisms.
During the course, Harry recalls walking behind his mother’s casket and shaking hands with hundreds of mourners in front of Kensington Palace just days before his 13th birthday, feeling at the time that strangers were grieving more than he was. He shares that the memory of his mother’s laughter has faded and recounts how, as a child, he believed for years that Diana had only faked her death and would eventually return to claim her two sons.
Harry stated that he began therapy in 2013 after his second military deployment to Afghanistan, which finally gave him permission to grieve his mother after years of suppression.
An Ambivalent Relationship with the Public
The Masterclass appearance highlights an ongoing tension in Harry’s public life. After stepping back from the British royal family in 2020 alongside his wife Meghan to lead a self-determined life far from the constant media frenzy, Harry has repeatedly shared personal details through high-profile projects.
These disclosures include his autobiography Spare, the Netflix series “Meghan & Harry”, numerous interviews, and now the Masterclass curriculum. While Harry decides for himself what to reveal—making it distinct from being hounded by paparazzi—his choice to continually make his personal pain a public topic contrasts with his stated desire to fight against the exploitation of his private life.
The Masterclass is available through an annual subscription costing $120, structured at $10 per month.
Contrasting Paths of Two Brothers
Harry and his older brother William illustrate different approaches to coping with the early loss of their mother. While Harry speaks about his grief publicly, William has set different boundaries.
William, now 44, stated in 2017 following the broadcast of the television documentary “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy” marking the 20th anniversary of her death that the brothers would never speak so openly about her again. Since then, William has kept a low profile and reportedly turned down media requests for television documentaries marking the 30th anniversary of her death.
Harry continues to tell his story, questioning whether his primary goal is to help other people or if sharing his story helps him come to terms with his own loss.
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