Prince Harry has candidly revealed that his mother’s untimely death made him not want to be a working royal.
The Duke of Sussex attended the InterEdge Summit – which saw attendees pay $997 for a general ticket – at Melbourne Park on Thursday, where he made an emotional keynote speech about the late Princess Diana’s death and how it affected his upbringing in the royal fold.
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“After my mum died just before my 13th birthday – I was like: ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role – wherever this is headed, I don’t like it’,” he told former Australian politician Brendan Nelson on stage.
Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince Charles attend Prince William’s first day at Eton, England September 6, 1995. Picture: Tom Wargacki/WireImage
Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince Charles attend Prince William’s first day at Eton, England September 6, 1995. Picture: Tom Wargacki/WireImage
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex delivers the keynote speech at the InterEdge Summit on day three of the royal trip at Centrepiece in Melbourne Park on April 16, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. Picture: Jonathan Brady-Pool/Getty Images
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex delivers the keynote speech at the InterEdge Summit on day three of the royal trip at Centrepiece in Melbourne Park on April 16, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. Picture: Jonathan Brady-Pool/Getty Images
“It killed my mum, and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.
“Eventually I realised – well, hang on, if there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world?
“And also, what would my mum want me to do? And that really changed my own perspective.”
In 1997, Princess Diana tragically passed away following a high-speed car collision inside the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. Her driver Henri Paul is said to have lost control of the vehicle while being chased by paparazzi.
Sky News host Chris Kenny discusses Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tour which is “not a royal tour”. “Public appearances, money-making events, this is the non-royals, the private citizens who have fled the fishbowl of the Royal Family for their own fishbowl, whinging about the media attention while they pocket the proceeds of the media attention,” Mr Kenny said. “This is nothing that the satirical geniuses at South Park haven’t predicted. “The Harry and Meghan privacy tour in real life, in Melbourne today and coming to Canberra and Sydney soon.”
Harry’s candid admission wasn’t the only emotional moment in his speech.
The Duke of Sussex continued to pull at heartstrings as he confessed to feeling “lost, betrayed or completely powerless” at different stages of his life.
“When I was invited to speak at this summit, I wasn’t sure whether I was expected to speak as someone who, despite everything, has their s*** together.
“Or as someone who, despite what it may look like, actually doesn’t have his s***together.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex visit the Royal Children’s Hospital on April 14, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. Picture: Jonathan Brady / NewsWire / POOL
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex visit the Royal Children’s Hospital on April 14, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. Picture: Jonathan Brady / NewsWire / POOL
“But I was struck by something quite simple – that while my experiences may be unusual, the feelings that come with them are not. In my experience, loss is disorienting at any age.”
Earlier this week, Harry and his wife visited the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum, before Meghan made her way to McAuley shelter in Footscray to dish up plates of frittata to homeless women and victims of family violence.
The Duke of Sussex also popped into Whitten Oval, the home of the Western Bulldogs AFL club, for a Movember mental health event, where he discussed the challenges of parenthood with Dr Zac Seidler, Global Director of Research at the Movember Institute of Men’s Health.
