Prince Harry is reportedly undergoing regular therapy sessions because he worries he could repeat what he views as King Charles III’s parenting shortcomings, especially in light of how the monarch treated the late Princess Diana, according to a new report.
Radar Online, citing an unnamed family insider, says the Duke of Sussex has sought professional help “for the sake of his kids” — four-year-old Prince Archie and three-year-old Princess Lilibet, whom he shares with his wife, Meghan Markle. The source claims Harry’s focus on mental health has intensified since leaving royal duties and moving to California.
“Harry’s big into ‘wellness’ and mental health now thanks to Meghan’s influence and his involvement in mental health charities,” the insider told the publication. “He’s being supported by Meghan in his decision to see a counselor as he’s racked with fear he will fall into the classic trap of repeating mistakes from the past.
“It’s well-known how scarred he is by tales of Charles’ cruelty to his beloved mother and he sees therapy as a way of becoming the best dad possible to his son Archie and little girl.”
According to the report, Harry remains deeply troubled by memories of his parents’ unhappy marriage and the royal family’s reaction to Diana’s death in 1997. At the time, Harry and his older brother, Prince William, were famously required to walk behind their mother’s coffin — an ordeal the Duke has previously described as traumatic.
“His therapy is classic blame-the-parents stuff,” the source continued. “It’s not that he’s a bad dad – he just wants to do everything he can not to do what Charles did.” The insider added that Harry is “horrified” by how the then-Prince of Wales handled the tragedy.
“Harry is still heartbroken that he and William were made to walk behind Diana’s coffin as kids, and by Charles’ buttoned-up, emotionless state in the wake of her death left him and his brother scarred for life,” the person said. “It’s not the kind of behavior he ever wants his kids to experience.”
The Duke of Sussex has frequently spoken about the importance of mental health. He co-founded the Invictus Games for wounded veterans, produced the Apple TV+ series The Me You Can’t See on emotional well-being, and has discussed his own struggles in numerous interviews.
Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the latest report. Friends of the Duke, however, insist that therapy has become a cornerstone of his effort to break what he perceives as a cycle of unresolved trauma within the royal family — and to ensure history does not repeat itself with the next generation.