15 celebs who positively raise awareness for mental health

Prince Harry

It’s important to remember that mental health battles don’t play favorites, and they certainly don’t exclude the royal family. Prince Harry has been incredibly upfront about his struggles with his own form of mental illness.

After his mother, Princess Diana, died in a car accident in 1997, the young boy of 12 years old stayed mostly silent about that day and how his life had changed. Like a lot of us who have dealt with tragedy and misfortune, he seems to have bottled it up.

In 2017, he told the Daily Telegraph, “I sought counseling after 20 years of not thinking about the death of my mother, Diana, and two years of total chaos in my life.” He may be a Prince, but this proves he’s far from perfect, and we couldn’t love him any more for that.

Shutting down can be the most lethal part of dealing with mental illness. Our culture and society have put an image in our head that we’re not allowed to talk about it, or if we do, we’ll be judged or shunned. This story proves exactly that. Especially as a royal, Prince Harry probably felt as though he needed to be this stoic image for his country. But after such a tragic loss, how can anyone be that?

Prince Harry’s bravery to come forward about what he dealt with shows his strength, his courage, and just how suited he is to be part of the royal family. We think he’ll be part of a new generation of royals, dictators, and government officials that take mental health more seriously when it comes to governing. And honestly, that’s the most important impact any of these people could have.