Prince Harry reveals he 'didn't want royal role' after the death of his mother Princess Diana

Ben McCaffrey
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:20:04 +0000

Prince Harry has revealed he did not want a royal role after the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, 28 years ago.

With his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, watching on in the audience on the third day of the couple's tour of Australia, Harry candidly discussed his feelings upon the tragic death of his mother.

"After my mum died just before my 13th birthday – I was like: ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role – wherever this is headed, I don’t like it'," Harry told Australian business leader and former politician Brendan Nelson on stage.

"It killed my mum, and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.

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"Eventually I realised – well, hang on, if there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world?

"And also, what would my mum want me to do?

"That really changed my own perspective."

Diana and Dodi Fayed, the son of billionaire businessman and then-owner of Harrods department store Mohamed Al Fayed, were killed in 1997 in a car crash as they attempted to evade photographers.

The tragedy came one year after her divorce from King Charles.

Harry said becoming a father in 2019 changed his approach, as he began "to notice the ripple effect more clearly".

"When a parent is overwhelmed, children feel it. When someone is supported, families feel it," he explained.

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"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."

The comments came just after the duke's keynote speech at InterEdge Summit in Melbourne, where he discussed mental health.

He earlier revealed to the audience that he has felt "overwhelmed," as well as "lost, betrayed, or completely powerless".

"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 added.

The two-day summit at Melbourne Park featured other speakers, such as retired tennis champion Jelena Dokic.

"Gold" tickets had been priced at almost $2,000 (£1,050), while "Platinum" tickets were set at $2,378 (£1,250).

Organisers later introduced a "Delegate" package, slashing prices by more than 50 per cent to less than $1,000 (£525).

Additionally, virtual options are available for $498 (£260).

For the event, Harry was lauded as a figure who "has dedicated his life to service and uplifting communities while emphasising the importance of our collective mental health in his philanthropic and advocacy work globally."