Prince Harry: "Becoming a father forced me to address something I'd been carrying around for a long time."

While in Melbourne, Prince Harry spoke at an event focused on men's mental health and parenthood. Addressing an audience of professionals, fathers, and figures from the world of sports, the Duke of Sussex shared a personal account of the profound changes he experienced upon becoming a father.

Harry explained that even before the birth of his children, Archie and Lilibet, he understood that he had to confront a part of his past. He recounted having undertaken therapy to prevent his personal wounds from weighing on his family life and his role as a father, stating: "Becoming a father forced me to address what I had been carrying for a long time.". His goal, he said, was to become a father in the best possible state, with greater emotional stability.

The most striking part of his speech concerned the feeling of disconnect he said he felt at the beginning of fatherhood. Harry described an intimate experience rarely expressed publicly by figures of his stature: that of a father who observes the pregnancy, the birth, and the arrival of the child with love, but also with a certain distance and confusion.

A clear message to men: speak up instead of shutting yourselves away.

Prince Harry then made a direct appeal to fathers and fathers-to-be. His message was simple: don't isolate yourself or feel guilty when you feel overwhelmed. According to him, parenthood confronts men with emotions they sometimes never learned to recognize or express.

As a reminder, studies show that many new fathers are never asked about their psychological state during their partner's pregnancy or in the months following the birth. A significant proportion of them also report feeling more alone, more vulnerable, or less prepared than they had imagined during the first year of parenthood.