Prince Harry's heartbreaking words over Princess Diana grief as he admits his ‘body doesn’t forget’

Prince Harry attends The Landmine Free World 2025 reception on International Mine Awareness Day at The Orangery on April 4, 2017 in London, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images / John Phillips / Stringer)

Prince Harry has opened up about the impact of grief and loss on our mental health and has shared more about his role as Chief Impact Officer at BetterUp, almost 25 years after Princess Diana's death. 

Prince Harry admitted the body ‘doesn’t forget’ grief and trauma, as he detailed his role as BetterUp’s Chief Impact Officer in a new heartbreaking interview.

Appearing on the podcast Master of Scale, hosted by Reid Hoffman, Harry explained the difference between mental fitness and mental health. He also delved into his role at BetterUp, saying that it’s, “100% about driving advocacy and awareness for mental fitness”. 

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the Patron of the Rugby Football League hosts the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draws for the men's, women's and wheelchair tournaments at Buckingham Palace on January 16, 2020 in London, England.

He continued, “Ninety-nine point nine percent of people on planet Earth are suffering from some form of loss, trauma, or grief.”

Prince Harry has openly made his own mental health confessions, and detailed the unresolved trauma he experienced after the death of his mother, Princess Diana when he was just 12 years old. 

He said, “It doesn’t matter what age you are, but the majority of us have experienced a lot of that in our younger years, therefore we’ve forgotten about it.

Diana, Princess Of Wales, Holding A Young Prince Harry In Her Arms As She Watches Trooping The Colour With Prince William And Princess Margaret From The Balcony Of Buckingham Palace.

“Now, the body doesn’t forget, the body holds the score as we know. And, therefore, just as much as there’s a mental health aspect to it, there’s also the emotional aspect to it as well.”

When asked about shifting mindsets, Harry then explained the difference between mental health and mental fitness and how it needs to be understood. 

He said, “Rather than looking at going, ‘Yeah, exactly that, every single day I’m trying to survive or, ‘Every single day I’m trying to cope,’ I think we need to completely change it…

“Mental fitness, as far as I understand it, is more a case of getting on the front foot. What can you do to be proactive, to prevent the situation from happening?”

This is one of the many interviews Harry has given on mental health, he also opened up about his own childhood trauma in his sit-down chat with Oprah Winfrey for the Apple Tv series 'The Me You Can't See.'

Experts also predict he will discuss the years following his mother's death in his new upcoming 'wholly truthful' memoir.

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Lifestyle team and has recently earned her Gold Standard Diploma in Journalism from the NCTJ. She has a background in design, having studied Illustration at Plymouth University but has taken a leap into the world of journalism after always having a passion for writing. She currently writes pieces on beauty, fashion, and entertainment for Goodto.com and My Imperfect Life.