5 Royal Family Members Who Battled Crippling Depression
The Royal Family has always been expected to keep a stiff upper lip. Smile for the cameras, wave to the crowds, and never let them see you crumble. But behind the palace walls, some of the most famous royals in history have fought private wars with depression—and in some cases, paid the ultimate price. From a prince who couldn’t stop crying to a princess who died alone in a hotel room, here are five royal family members who suffered from crippling depression.
Prince Harry — The Two-Week Crash That Changed Everything
Prince Harry has been remarkably open about his mental health struggles. In 2026, he revealed that after moving to Canada in 2019 to escape the royal “stressful environment,” his body experienced an “adrenaline crash” unlike anything he’d felt before. “I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks and I felt like I couldn’t function without adrenaline,” he admitted. He described becoming “useless around the house” and unable to function without the constant stress his body had become addicted to. But his battle with depression started much earlier. After his mother’s death in 1997, he cried at her funeral—and then didn’t cry again for nearly two decades. He spent years “emotionally numb,” believing he had to be sad in order to prove he missed her. It was only through therapy that he finally began to heal.