Prince Harry lays bare on fatherhood: 'I had stuff from the past that I needed to deal with'

Ben McCaffrey
Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:29:36 +0000

Prince Harry has spoken candidly on becoming a father, admitting that he "had some stuff from the past that needed dealing with".

The comments were made during an event on fatherhood hosted by Movember on Wednesday during his trip in Australia.

"Certainly from a therapy standpoint, you want to be the best version of yourself for your kids," the duke said on his therapy before having children.

"And I knew that I had stuff from the past that I needed to deal with, and therefore prepare myself to basically cleanse myself of the past."

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He added the "s***" he had received for speaking about the issues made him more determined to do so.

The father-of-two met with supporters and members of the men's health charity Movember at Whitten Oval, headquarters of the Australian rules football club Western Bulldogs.

Harry was presented with children's shirts, printed with the names Archie and Lilibet, and also got the chance to kick a ball around the pitch with Western Bulldogs players Tom Liberatore, Adam Treloar and Matthew Kennedy.

When speaking on stage with Movember’s global director of men’s health research, Dr Zac Seidler, the duke said there were "conversations that are now happening in households between kids and parents that never existed between me and my parents".

"From my perspective, our kids are our upgrade," he noted.

"That’s not how I was taught, but that was my take on it – not to say I was an upgrade of my dad or that my kids are an upgrade of me.

"That’s the approach that I take, to know that with the world the way that it goes, the kids that we bring up in today’s world need to be an upgrade."

The prince added he felt a "disconnection" from his wife, Meghan Markle, during pregnancy, because she "was the one creating life, and I was there to witness it".

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"I think for many guys, you try to think about what service can I provide at this point, because my work here is done to some extent," the prince continued.

"And then when it comes back around again, I think the biggest tip that I was given, actually, from my therapist in the UK, was just be aware of how you feel once the baby is born."

He poignantly added: "Fatherhood is the most important and sort of transformational role that a guy can ever, can ever move into."

When asked on any advice he would give to new fathers, the Duke of Sussex replied: "You’re not alone… Yes, it’s messy. You will have a rollercoaster of emotions, and don’t judge yourself."

The Movember movement was founded in Melbourne in 2003 and focuses on men's health issues, particularly suicide, prostate and testicular cancer.

Harry's Melbourne event came on day two of the Sussexes' four-day Australia tour. Later on, the prince flew to Canberra, where he attended a ceremony and laid a wreath at the Australian War Memorial before an appearance at the reception for Invictus Australia.

Meghan, meanwhile, was not seen on Wednesday as she pursued personal business engagements. It was announced on April 14 the duchess has joined AI-powered fashion platform OneOff.

She is expected to rejoin her husband in Melbourne tomorrow, when the couple jet off to Sydney for the final day of the tour.