The director of ‘The Me You Can’t See’ has said it was “unique and special” to have Prince Harry open up about his mental health.
The 36-year-old royal appeared on the Apple TV docuseries to discuss a range of topics – including his mental health, his journey into fatherhood, and his life as a member of the royal family – with Oprah Winfrey.
And now, Dawn Porter, who was one of the co-directors and producers of the series, has said it was a “privilege” to have Harry on the show.
Speaking to ET Canada, she said: “As a film director, anytime someone opens up to you, you realise it really is a privilege and it really is something – it means that people trust you. Putting it all together that way and being part of an intimate conversation with him, we realised how unique and special that was.”
Dawn also said the crux of the series – which also saw stars such as Lady Gaga and Glenn Close get candid about their struggles – are the hidden traumas and mental health issues people of all genders, socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, and race all face.
She added: “At the core, we are all so much more alike than we are different. Every single person in the world has experienced some form of mental stress. It may be on a continuum but our mantra during this whole series is ‘Everyone has a story.’”
In the series, Harry revealed he turned to drugs and alcohol to “mask” the pain he was feeling in his 20s.
He 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, okay, 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.”
And the prince – who has two-year-old son Archie with his pregnant wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex – also accused the royal family of “total neglect” when it comes to addressing mental health issues within the family.
Speaking about Meghan’s own battle with her mental health, Harry added: “I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever, it is just got met with total silence, total neglect.
“We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling.”