‘Killed my mum’: Harry’s shock confession about the Royal Family, mental health and burnout in Melbourne

Prince Harry has opened up about the “disorientating” feeling he felt while living in the spotlight as a member of the Royal Family.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are spending their final day in Melbourne with a keynote speech at InterEdge Summit, after exploring some of the city’s most significant cultural sites as part of their four-day whirlwind Australian trip.

Speaking at the InterEdge Summit at Centrepiece in Melbourne, hosted by Lifeline Narrm (Melbourne), the duke, dressed in a black suit and white shirt sans tie, the room erupted in a round of applause, hollers and cheers as he began his keynote with a Welcome to Country.

Meghan was also present at the event, changing into a white dress with her hair pulled into a loose bun, sitting in the audience to watch her husband.

‘Killed my mum’: Harry opens up about Princess Diana’s death

Speaking vulnerably, the Duke of Sussex said the 1997 death of his mother, Diana, then Princess of Wales, was a turning point in his role with the Royal Family.

After his mum died before his 13th birthday, the duke said he “ (didn’t) want that role”.

“I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role – wherever this is headed, I don’t like it,” he said.

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

Prince Harry said he then realised the family he “was born into” offered him an opportunity to connect with communities he never would have met otherwise.

“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?” he said.

The duke said his mother played an important role in shaping his life, even after her death.

“What would my mum want me to do?” he asked.

“And that really changed my own perspective.”

He told the audience that growing up in the “fishbowl” of public life was tense, particularly with the death of his mother at a young age- but said that grief and loss was “disorientating at any age”.

“Grief does not disappear because we ignore it,” he said.

“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,” he said.

Cheeky “Australian swear” catches Harry off-guard

Cutting through the serious tone of the discussion, the room couldn’t help but burst into laughter when Harry warned he would use some “Australian” adult language.

A few eyebrows were raised around the room, waiting for his response with bated breath.

“Not that one!” he laughed.

The taboo word was far less abrasive, cutting through the tension in the air.

“Gone are the days of not bringing your sh*t to work, or not taking it home from work,” he said.

“The two things … it’s almost impossible to … separate those.

“I think if you’re having a hard time at home, and you bring that to work, that’s going to affect your performance, that’s going to affect everybody else around you.”

Harry gets vulnerable about burnout

At the Summit, the Duke of Sussex opened up about his experience living in the spotlight, social media harassment and burnout.

He said that there were a lot of events unfolding in the world that makes people feel “helpless”.

“I can relate,” he said.

“There’s a lot to carry, wherever you are. None of us are immune from that; I feel it regularly.

“It would be weird if you didn’t.”

He confessed there were times he felt “lost, betrayed or completely powerless” and was forced to “show up and pretend everything is OK”.

But “becoming a husband and a father has a way of shifting that perspective”.

Suppression was his primary method for getting rid of the feelings of fear, which he said made him feel “numb”.

Online spaces such as social media and the developing world of AI were making the situation worse, especially for young people, he said.

“As AI begins to shape what we see, how we work … leadership cannot become passive,” he said.

After his keynote speech and Q&A with former Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson, the duke departed with an enormous round of applause, with the entire audience giving him a standing ovation.

“I was the most trolled person in the world”: Meghan

Coming off the back of their guided tour of the significant Aboriginal sites in Melbourne early on Thursday morning, the formerly royal couple were hand-in-hand as they arrived at Swinburne University of Technology to attend an mental health engagement program. It was there that Meghan opened up about the realities of dealing with online harassment over the past 10 years.

Meghan swapped out her casual garb she donned in the morning for a moss green shift mini dress and black stockings and heels, paired with gold jewellery and loose waves as they walked through the Hawthorn campus.When asked about her perception of Australia, Meghan told the adoring crowd: “It’s brilliant”.At the university, Harry engaged in a discussion group with young activists, where they discussed mental health.

In a rare moment of vulnerability, Meghan explained that she was “bullied and attacked” by social media users over the past decade, making her the “most trolled person in the entire world”.She told the advocates that the online harassment was relentless, with social media companies “not incentivised to stop”.“And I can speak to that really personally, which is why I like to listen, because it rings true for me in a very real way,” she said.“For now, 10 years, every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked. “And I was the most trolled person in the entire world.”

‘Epic’: Harry praises Australia’s under-16 social media ban

The topic then shifted to Australia’s under-16 social media ban, which he said “showed leadership in progress”.“Your government was the first country in the world to bring about a ban,” he said.“Now we can sit here and debate the pros and cons of a ban – I’m not here to judge that.

“All I will say is from a responsibility and leadership standpoint – epic.”

Meghan and Harry’s guided tour of Aboriginal sites in Melbourne

The duke and duchess began their final day in Melbourne with a Scar Tree Walk through the city – a guided tour through the significant Aboriginal sites, starting in Federation Square and walking along the Yarra (Birrarung), where they end at the scar trees at Yarra Park.

The duke and duchess were guided across part of the city with members of the Koorie Heritage Trust early on Thursday morning, exploring the significant Aboriginal sites and contemporary installations.

Meghan was all smiles in the morning, waving to the crowd of fans who watched their journey through the scenic path.

She was dressed casually for the occasion, donning a tan trench coat, jeans and sneakers to fight off the chilly Melbourne mornings.

The duchess also wore a white T-shirt with the words ‘mama’ printed on the front, from the Alliance of Moms, which was co-founded by the duchess’ best friend Kelly McKee-Zajfen. The shirt costs $56.58, with proceeds raised going to young families in Los Angeles who need to access parenting education, mental health support and other resources.

Following the mental health program at Swinburne University, Prince Harry will present a keynote speech at the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne.

The pair will then jet off to Sydney, where they’ll spend the final day of their Australian tour, sailing around the Sydney Harbour with members of Invictus Australia.

They’ll later attend a rugby match between the NSW Waratahs and Moana Pasifika at Allianz Stadium.

The Duke of Sussex is the founder and patron of the Invictus Games – a multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick veterans founded in 2014.

Meghan is also the headline attraction at a luxury women’s wellness event in Sydney on the weekend.

Tickets for the exclusive wellness event start at $2699, co-hosted by Gemma O’Neill, host of the podcast Her Best Life and manager of Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.