May is Mental Health Awareness Month. As one of the most outspoken advocates for the destigmatization of mental health disorders, Prince Harry has often spoken about his own journey to better his mental health. Following the tragic and sudden loss of his mother, Princess Diana, at just 12-years-old, the Duke of Sussex struggled with his mental health for many years. Now he shares his story in the hopes that it will help others who are struggling and makes sure others know it's okay to ask for help when they need it. Here are 12 of Prince Harry's most candid quotes on mental health:

"The majority of us carry some form of unresolved trauma, loss, or grief, which feels — and is—very personal. Yet the last year has shown us that we are all in this together, and my hope is that this series will show there is power in vulnerability, connection in empathy and strength in honesty."

“I think losing your mother at such a young age does end up shaping your life massively. Of course, it does, and now I find myself trying to be there and give advice to other people who are in similar positions.”

“The stigma surrounding [mental health] is a massive issue. I want to re-emphasize the point to people that [mental illness] is not a ticking time bomb.”

“What we are trying to do is normalize the conversation to the point where anyone can sit down and have a coffee and just go, ‘You know what, I’ve had a really s—t day, can I just tell about it?’ Because then you walk away and it’s done.”

“I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well. I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions … The experience I have had is that once you start talking about it, you realize that actually you’re part of quite a big club.”

"My way of dealing with [loss] was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help? [I thought] it’s only going to make you sad, it’s not going to bring her back. So from an emotional side, I was like, right, don’t ever let your emotions be part of anything. And then [I] started to have a few conversations and actually all of a sudden, all of this grief that I have never processed started to come to the forefront and I was like, there is actually a lot of stuff here that I need to deal with.”

Katie Sommers

About Katie Sommers