Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are currently visiting Australia for the first time since their royal visit in 2018. Since then, the two have shed their royal status but retained their titles. As part of his visit, Prince Harry spoke at the InterEdge Summit, a leadership summit in Melbourne. During this speech, the Duke shared that he felt “lost, betrayed, or completely powerless” in leadership spaces.
The comments are powerful coming from the Duke, who has led several major international initiatives, philanthropic organisations, and military roles, with a focus on veteran support, mental health, and social causes.
Most notably, Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014, a sporting event for wounded, injured, or sick armed services personnel. He remains actively involved as its patron.
He and Meghan also co-founded the Archewell Foundation, a non-profit which focuses on community-driven charitable work.
However, he also co-founded the charity Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006, inspired by his mother, Princess Diana’s work, to support young people with HIV/AIDS in Botswana and Lesotho. The Duke left the charity in March 2025 following a dispute with its chair, Sophie Chandauka, over financial problems. He said that leaving the charity was “devastating”. Prince Harry is currently being sued by the charity for defamation.
The Duke was invited to speak at the summit, Press Association understands that he was not paid for his appearance. Tickets were £525, with platinum tickets costing £1,250 and a virtual ticket with on-demand access to the Duke’s speech costing £260.
“When I was invited to speak at this summit, I wasn’t sure whether I was expected to speak as someone who, despite everything, has their s*** together. Or as someone who, despite what it may look like, actually doesn’t have his s*** together.”
“But I was struck by something quite simple – that while my experiences may be unusual, the feelings that come with them are not,” Harry said in his speech.
He also commented that “loss” at a young age was “disorientating” but shaped him, as it does everyone.
“Grief does not disappear because we ignore it. Experiencing that as a kid while in a goldfish bowl under constant surveillance, yes, that will have its challenges. And without purpose, it can break you.”
Princess Diana, Harry’s mother, died on August 31, 1997, following a high-speed car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, France. She was 36. The driver, Henri Paul, lost control of the vehicle while attempting to evade paparazzi. He, along with Dodi Fayed and the Princess, perished. Harry was 12 years old; in fact, it happened a mere two weeks before his 13th birthday.
“There have been many times when I’ve felt overwhelmed. Times when I’ve felt lost, betrayed, or completely powerless. Times when the pressure – externally and internally – felt constant. And times when, despite everything going on, I still had to show up pretending everything was ok, so as not to let anyone down.”
He continued that he was “numb”, which was easier in his youth before he “had the tools to deal with it.”
After his speech, Harry confessed that following his mother’s tragic death, he didn’t want to be a royal anymore.
“I was like: ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role – wherever this is headed, I don’t like it.’ It killed my mum, and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.”
But he eventually came to the realisation that he had a duty to use his platform as a public person to make a difference.
“And also, what would my mum want me to do?”
The Prince then spoke about how becoming a father also changed his perspective.
“When a parent is overwhelmed, children feel it. When someone is supported, families feel it. For me, one of the biggest shifts came when I realised that asking for help isn’t a weakness. It’s very much a form of strength.”
Prince Harry made similar comments at a Movember event in Melbourne. Read it on our blog on the Duke and Duchess’ visit here.
Quotes provided by Sam Hall, Press Association in Melbourne
