Prince Harry reflected on his marriage with Meghan Markle and explained how she helped him at a time when he felt “stuck”.
The Duke of Sussex spoke about his spouse, who he’s been married to since 2018, during a livestream conversation with author Dr Gabor Maté on Saturday. The conversation focused on managing grief, the importance of healing and Harry’s tell-all memoir, Spare.
Harry told Maté how his wife had a major impact on his personal growth.
“People have said that my wife saved me,” he explained. “I was stuck in this world, and she was from a different world and helped draw me out of that.”
He then spoke about the effort that he’s put in to change and better himself.
“But none of the elements of my life would have been possible without me seeing it for myself,” Harry added. “It’s almost impossible to change other people, you’ve got to start with changing yourself and allow that growth to happen.”
The Duke concluded his remarks by praising his spouse, calling her “an exceptional human being and I’m eternally grateful for the wisdom and the space that she has been able to give me.”
Harry, who currently lives in California with his wife and children, has previously opened up about how his marriage has shaped him. In his memoir Spare, he recalled a fight that he had with the Duchess of Sussex, which led him to seek therapy.
“I was also just over-sensitive that night. I thought: ‘Why’s she having a go at me?’ I snapped at her, spoke to her harshly and cruelly,” he wrote. “As the words left my mouth, I could feel everything in the room come to a stop.”
Harry recalled that, after the argument, Meghan asked him what caused him to behave in this manner: “[She asked] Where did you ever hear a man speak like that to a woman? Did you overhear adults speak that way when you were growing up?’ I cleared my throat, looked away [and responded], ‘Yes.’”
After acknowledging that his anger came from “somewhere deep inside,” he said he told Meghan that he’s done therapy previously and that “it didn’t work” before she kindly told him to try it again.
