Joanna Williams
Already a subscriber? Log in
It is all too easy to mock the privileged Prince who likes to bang on about his struggles for a fee. We can laugh at the hypocrisy of the privacy-loving Duke whose favourite topic of conversation is his own personal life. But, as so often with Harry, he unwittingly exposes the zeitgeist and helps us clarify what’s troubling about the times we live in. And there is something that should concern us about Harry and Oprah’s push for openness. Certainly stigma around mental health difficulties is dangerous if it stops those who need it from seeking professional help. But must the opposite of stigma be the boundary-less individual who, in exposing all, is left without a private, interior world? Revealing every intimate detail of our lives brings its own pressures. Complete transparency both robs personal relationships of significance and makes it more difficult to separate ourselves off from the lives of others.
In this week’s ‘town hall’ discussion, Harry talks about dealing with his wife’s suicidal feelings – a fact Meghan disclosed in the couple’s first public outing with Oprah. This time around he told Winfrey: ‘I’m somewhat ashamed of the way that I dealt with it. Because of the system that we were in and the responsibilities and the duties that we had, we had a quick cuddle and then we had to get changed to jump in a convoy with a police escort and drive to the Royal Albert Hall for a charity event.’
Harry’s intentions are no doubt good. He advises: ‘But what you [want] to say is “You’re there”. Listen, because listening and being part of that conversation is without doubt the best first step that you can take.’ But in going public with the idea that suicidal individuals can have a ‘quick cuddle’ before pulling themselves together and glamming up for a gig at the Royal Albert Hall, the pair risk trivialising the contemplation of suicide.
Indeed, ‘The Me You Can’t See’ series utterly fails to distinguish between mental health and mental illness. Mental health, as the fashionable meme has it, is something we all have. Mental illness is most definitely not. Mental health can be improved with a walk on the beach, a bubble bath or a quick cuddle. Mental illness cannot. In the town hall show, Harry and Oprah try to counteract some of these criticisms. They are joined by a team of mental health experts and discuss the need for better funding for mental health provision and the need for healthcare reform. But the pop psychology mantras of openness and self-care remain.
Princess Diana famously wanted to be ‘a queen of people’s hearts’ but her son seems determined to become Prince of our feelings. It’s enough to make me nostalgic for the stiff upper lip.
Because you read about prince harry
Also by Joanna Williams
Latest
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in