In a new Netflix series dedicated to the Invictus Games for injured soldiers, Britain’s Prince Harry has opened up about his struggle to find support when he returned home from his military service in Afghanistan. The series was launched on the streaming platform on Wednesday.
Prince Harry revealed that his return from Afghanistan in 2012 triggered deep emotions, which he had long suppressed since the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 12 years old. He lamented that the impact of Diana’s death was never openly discussed within his family.
He expressed, “The biggest struggle for me was no one around me really could help; I didn’t have that support structure, that network or that expert advice to identify what was actually going on with me. Unfortunately, like most of us, the first time you consider therapy is when you are lying on the floor in the fetal position probably wishing you had dealt with some of this stuff previously.”
The Netflix series, titled “Heart of Invictus,” follows a group of injured soldiers as they prepare for the Invictus Games held in The Netherlands last year. Inspired by the Warrior Games in the United States, Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014 as a Paralympic-style event aimed at inspiring military veterans worldwide as they strive to overcome injuries sustained in battle.
Prince Harry and his wife, former Meghan Markle, signed a lucrative contract with Netflix after stepping away from their royal duties in 2020 and relocating to Southern California. Their content production for Netflix has included projects such as “Harry & Meghan,” a six-part series chronicling their departure from the royal family, which premiered last year.
Prince Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, appeared at a preview screening of the new series in California, where he emphasized the sacrifices made by veterans and their families in service to their countries. He encouraged the audience to watch the series, saying, “You guys get to watch it tonight — or at least two episodes — to whet the appetite for the rest of it.”
