The Most Emotional Revelations From Prince Harry and Oprah's The Me You Can't See

Published on May 21, 2021 at 9:30 AM

YouTube | Apple TV+

Prince Harry is continuing to shine a light on the importance of mental health. After much anticipation, his new series with Oprah, The Me You Can't See, has finally premiered on Apple TV+, and it features very open and profound discussions surrounding mental health. In addition to Harry and Oprah sharing their own personal journeys and struggles, the duo also tapped a handful of guests like Lady Gaga, Glenn Close, and DeMar DeRozan to share their experiences. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Meghan Markle and Archie also make appearances.

"We are born into different lives, brought up in different environments, and as a result are exposed to different experiences. But our shared experience is that we are all human," Harry previously said in a statement. "The majority of us carry some form of unresolved trauma, loss, or grief, which feels — and is — very personal. Yet the last year has shown us that we are all in this together, and my hope is that this series will show there is power in vulnerability, connection in empathy, and strength in honesty." Ahead, check out the most emotional revelations from the five-episode series.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with the death of Princess Diana. "I was in a fight-or-flight mode. Panic attacks, severe anxiety. And from 28 to probably 32 was a nightmare time in my life," the Duke of Sussex said. "I was willing to drink. I was willing to take drugs. I was willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling. But I slowly became aware that, OK, I wasn't drinking Monday to Friday, but I would probably drink a week's worth in one day on a Friday or a Saturday night. And I would find myself drinking not because I was enjoying it, but because I was trying to mask something."
Harry decided to pursue therapy more seriously after meeting Meghan Markle. "It was meeting and being with Meghan, I knew that if I didn't do therapy and fix myself, that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with," Harry said. "When she said, 'I think you need to see someone,' that was in reaction to an argument we had. And in that argument, not knowing about it, I reverted back to 12-year-old Harry. The moment I started therapy and probably within my second session, my therapist turned around to me, and said, 'That sounds like you are reverting to 12-year-old Harry.' I felt somewhat ashamed and defensive . . . That was the start of a learning journey for me. I became aware that I'd been living in a bubble, within this family, within this institution, I was sort of almost trapped in a thought process or a mindset."
Harry is "somewhat ashamed" of how he handled Meghan's confession of having suicidal thoughts during her first pregnancy. "Meghan decided to share with me the suicidal thoughts and the practicalities of how she was going to end her life," Harry recalled. "Of course, because of the system we were in and the responsibilities and the duties that we had, we had a quick cuddle and then we had to get changed, had to jump in a convoy with a police escort, and drive to the Royal Albert Hall for a charity event and then step out to a wall of cameras and pretend as though everything's OK. There wasn't an option to say, 'You know what, tonight we're not going to go.' Because just imagine the stories that come from that."
Traveling to London is a "trigger" for Harry because of what happened to his mom. "For most of my life, I always felt worried, concerned, a little bit tense and uptight whenever I fly back into the UK, whenever I fly back into London," he said, referencing feelings of anxiety and helplessness. "The trauma is very much geographical."
Harry and Meghan have a photo of Diana hanging in Archie's nursery. "I got a photo up in his nursery, and it was one of the first words that he said — apart from 'mama,' 'papa,' it was then 'grandma'. Grandma Diana," Harry shared. "It's the sweetest thing, but at the same time, it makes me really sad because she should be here."

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga was impregnated by the producer that raped her as a teen. "I was 19 years old, and I was working in the business, and a producer said to me, 'Take your clothes off,'" she recalled. "And I said no. And I left, and they told me they were going to burn all of my music. And they didn't stop. They didn't stop asking me, and I just froze and I — I don't even remember. And I will not say his name. I understand this #MeToo movement, and I understand a lot of people feel really comfortable with this. I do not ever want to face this person again." Years later, Gaga went to the hospital for pain and numbness, and she was surprised when they sent in a psychiatrist to see her, rather than a medical doctor. "I felt full-on pain, then I went numb," she explained. "And then, I was sick for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks after, and I realized that it was the same pain I felt when the person who raped me dropped me off pregnant on the corner [outside] my parents' house, because I was vomiting, and sick. 'Cause I'd been being abused. I was locked away in a studio for months."
As a result of the trauma, Gaga suffered a "psychotic break" for a couple of years. "I used to scream and throw myself at a wall," Gaga said. "And you know why it's not good to self-harm? Because it makes you feel worse. You think you're going to feel better because you're showing someone, 'Hey, look, I'm in pain' — it doesn't help. I always tell people, tell somebody, don't show somebody."

Glenn Close

Growing up in a religious cult had a profound impact on Glenn Close's relationships. "I have not been successful in my relationships and finding a permanent partner, and I'm sorry about that," she said. "I think it's our natural state to be connected like that. I don't think you ever change your trigger points, but at least you can be aware of them, and at least you can maybe avoid situations that might make you vulnerable, especially in relationships."

Oprah

The only thing in Oprah's life that still makes her cry to this day is the "recognition of moving to Milwaukee" to live with her mother after being raised by her grandmother. "My mother was a boarder in this middle-class, very light-skinned, could pass for white woman's house," Oprah said. "The first moment I walked in, instantly, I knew that [the woman] did not like me because of the color of my skin, and that very first night, she wouldn't let me come in the house. There was a little porch foyer that was exposed to the street, and I had to sleep out there on a sofa." When her mother didn't stand up for her, Oprah knew she was "alone."
Oprah was raped at ages 9, 10, 11, and 12 by an older cousin. "I didn't know what rape was — I certainly wasn't aware of the word. I had no idea what sex was, I had no idea where babies came from. I didn't even know what was happening to me, and I kept that secret," Oprah recalled. "It's just something I accepted, that a girl-child isn't safe in a world full of men."

If you or someone you know would like to speak with someone who is trained to assist sexual assault survivors, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.