In a recent discussion on his new Apple TV+ show, The Me You Can’t See, Prince Harry condemned the royal family, saying they were pushing his wife towards the same fate as his mother, who died while she was in an interracial relationship.
"History was repeating itself," the prince said as he opened up to Oprah Winfrey about his family being opposed to his own interracial marriage to Meghan Markle.
According to Yahoo, Harry then made the connection to his mother, Princess Diana, who was with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed when she died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
"My mother was chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone that wasn't white," he told Oprah. "When you talk about history repeating itself, they're not gonna stop until she dies. It’s incredibly triggering to potentially lose another woman in my life. Like the list is growing, and it all comes back to the same people, the same business model — the same industry.”
WOW!! ????…..Harry is definitely a REAL one! I actually cant believe he said it ????????❤️ pic.twitter.com/AMS4hcGx3Q
— Funk Butcher (@FunkButcher) May 21, 2021
The 36-year-old continued to call out his family on the program, specifically chastising the advice he received from his father, Prince Charles.
“My father used to say to me when I was younger, ‘Well, it was like that for me, so it’s going to be like that for you,’” he said. "Just because you suffered, that doesn’t mean that your kids have to suffer, in fact quite the opposite. If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever negative experiences that you had, you can make it right for your kids.”
As he reflected on his desire to free himself and his wife from the royal family, Harry said it was like being trapped.
"There was no option to leave," he said.
And the situation didn't appear to get any easier when the couple decided to move away.
"Eventually when I made that decision for my family, I was still told 'You can't do this,'" the prince said. "It's like how bad does it have to get before I'm allowed to do this? Where she was going to end her life? It shouldn't have to get to that."
Markle opened up about her struggles with depression when she spoke with Oprah earlier this year, USA TODAY reported.
"I didn't want to be alive anymore," she said. "I was ashamed to admit it to Harry, but I knew if I didn't say it, I would do it. I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. It was clear, it was real, it was frightening, and it was a constant thought."
Harry said his biggest regret is the fact that he didn't take a stronger stance against racism earlier in the couple's relationship.
The California resident made another deeply personal revelation on the show, saying he fell into severe depression as he became overwhelmed with having to perform royal duties. In an effort to calm his anxiety, the British celebrity said he spent years drinking excessively and taking drugs.
“I was just all over the place mentally,” he said.
According to The Washington Post, The Me You Can’t See program, co-created with Oprah, is part of a series which invites celebrities to discuss mental health. The featured guests will include singer Lady Gaga, actress Glenn Close and NBA star DeMar DeRozan.