Prince Harry Reportedly Turned To 'M16 Therapists' For Help With His Mental Health

According to a royal insider, Prince Harry sought the help of an M16 therapist after his ex-girlfriend encouraged him to get therapy for his "temperament."

Therapy helped the Duke of Sussex confront long-suppressed grief over his mother's death. He has previously admitted that his wife, Meghan Markle, helped him battle his emotional turmoil early in their relationship.

Besides Prince Harry's issues, Meghan herself also revealed suicidal thoughts during pregnancy due to royal pressures, but claims the Palace denied her help.

Harry's journey toward emotional healing reportedly began with the encouragement of his former girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, who urged him to seek therapy after witnessing what has been described as his "explosive temperament."

According to the Daily Mail, royal biographer Tina Brown shared in her book "The Palace Papers" how Bonas became increasingly concerned about Harry's mental health and was instrumental in persuading him to get professional help.

A family acquaintance told Brown that Bonas pushed the Duke of Sussex to "accept he has problems and see a psychoanalyst."

This led Harry to Julia Samuel, a bereavement counselor with NHS experience and a close friend of his late mother, Princess Diana.

Samuel had a unique connection to the intelligence community as she had reportedly worked with MI6, advising staff on mental health, which made her an ideal choice for someone in Harry's position. Her background meant she was not only qualified but also capable of the utmost discretion.

"There was a need for someone who could be incredibly discreet and who understood what it's like to have a public version of your life and a private version," a person in Harry's inner circle said. "Therapists at MI6, that's what they do."

It was through these therapy sessions that Harry began to confront the grief he had long suppressed since the death of Princess Diana when he was just 12 years old.

Brown noted that the duke came to recognize his own coping mechanisms, ranging from reckless partying to emotionally shutting down as attempts to avoid dealing with his sorrow.

"He, at last, understood his own evasion of sorrow in tactics that ranged from champagne hooliganism to 'sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help?'" she wrote.

Bonas' insistence on getting help came after multiple troubling incidents, one of which occurred during a New Year's Day lunch at a pub in Kidlington, near Oxford.

As described by a source familiar with the situation, Harry reacted aggressively when an older man asked for a photo. He reportedly snapped, telling the man to "get out of my way," before turning red with anger and abruptly leaving the scene.

Harry has previously spoken candidly about his long-standing struggle with grief following the loss of his mother, and how it wasn't until he met his wife, Meghan Markle, that he began to seriously address his emotional wounds.

In the "The Me You Can't See" docuseries, which he co-created with Oprah Winfrey, Harry revealed that it was Meghan who encouraged him to start unpacking years of unresolved trauma.

During a conversation with Winfrey, she asked: "Only after meeting Meg did you start the process of trying to figure it out. You hadn't tried to before?"

Harry responded by shaking his head. "Never," he said. "I quickly established that if this relationship was going to work, then I was going to have to deal with my past."

Harry went on to describe the emotional weight he had been carrying, admitting that he had lived with a persistent sense of anger, particularly in connection with his mother's death.

"It wasn't anger at her," he clarified, "it was just… anger."

Encouraging others to take their mental health seriously, Harry emphasized that asking for help is a sign of courage, not vulnerability.

"To make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness," he said. "In today's world, more than ever, it is a sign of strength."

Meghan also previously opened up about her own struggles with mental health, revealing the profound emotional toll royal life took on her.

In her  2021 explosive interview with Winfrey, Meghan shared that she experienced suicidal thoughts while five months pregnant, overwhelmed by the pressures and isolation she felt as a member of the royal family.

She recalled reaching a breaking point, telling Harry that she no longer wanted to live.

"I knew that if I didn't say it, that I would do it," she said. "I just didn't want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear, real, and frightening constant thought."

The Duchess of Sussex said she expressed a need to seek professional help, telling her husband, "I need to go somewhere to get help." But according to Meghan, her request was denied by Palace staff, who reportedly said "it wouldn't be good for the institution."

During the interview, Meghan shared how Harry held her as she cried out for support. Despite the severity of her condition, she said she was still expected to attend a public engagement at the Royal Albert Hall that same evening in January 2019.

The US-based royals have since stepped back from their roles as working royals and have had a strained relationship with the royal family.