Grief is a natural byproduct of loss. It has been nearly 22 years since Prince Harry lost his mother at 12-years-old. Prince Harry has only recently opened up about his mental wellbeing to the general public. In a recent interview he explained that “My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help?” Prince Harry’s candid admissions of his mental health struggles and journey with grief comes as he campaigns to end the taboo on mental health issues and establishing it as an equal counterpart to other illnesses.
The Heads Together Foundation, a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, aims to destigmatize and alter the conversation on grief and mental health issues. During a recent visit to Empire Fighting Chance in Bristol, England, Prince Harry asked everyone to clear the room so he could talk privately with a boy who lost his father. “The same thing happened to me,” he told the boy.
Though experiencing a death can be a life-changing event for anyone, childhood and adolescence are crucial periods of development. At The Children’s Room we strive to create safe, supportive communities so that no child, teen, or family has to grieve alone. Our services aim to normalize the grieving process, while preserving the understanding that grief doesn’t look the same for everyone, every loss is different.
TCR’s Clinical Director, Nancy Frumer Styron, JD, PsyD, shares “It is amazing to see a new family come through the doors of The Children’s Room for the first time, nervous and unsure, and be warmly welcomed by those who have been here for awhile. By the end of the evening a new family feels like they belong because they have been with others who ‘get it.’ Sharing all that goes with a death of a parent, from the story of the death to all the secondary losses and changes, families realize they are not the only ones. Prince Harry’s reaching out to that young boy was a moment for both of them, of not feeling alone.”
To hear Prince Harry’s candid interview with Bryon Gordon click here:
https://bryonysmadworld.telegraph.co.uk/e/mad-world-prince-harry/
To read more about Prince Harry’s visit to Empire Fighting Chance click here:
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/celebrities/a26123302/prince-harry-talks-to-boy-who-lost-parent/
