Prince Harry Reflects on Fatherhood and Therapy at Movember Event
The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, has opened up about his personal journey into fatherhood, stating that children should be considered "upgrades" on their parents. Speaking at a men's health charity event in Melbourne, Harry revealed he needed to address "stuff from the past" before welcoming his own children.
Therapeutic Preparation for Parenthood
During a talk hosted by Movember at the Whitten Oval, the training headquarters of the Western Bulldogs Australian rules football club, Harry discussed his experience with therapy. "Certainly from a therapy standpoint, you want to be the best version of yourself for your kids," he said. "I knew that I had stuff from the past that I needed to deal with, and therefore prepare myself to basically cleanse myself of the past."
The duke emphasised the importance of modern parenting approaches, noting that "conversations that are now happening in households between kids and parents that never existed between me and my parents." He elaborated on his philosophy, stating: "From my perspective, our kids are our upgrade. That's not how I was taught but that was my take on it – not to say I was an upgrade of my dad or that my kids are an upgrade of me. That's the approach that I take, to know that with the world the way that it goes, the kids that we bring up in today's world need to be an upgrade."
Navigating Early Fatherhood and Disconnection
Harry also touched on the challenges of early fatherhood, admitting to feeling a "disconnection" initially. "Certainly I felt a disconnection because my wife was the one creating life, and I was there to witness it," he shared. Dressed in a taupe shirt and jeans, he recounted advice from his therapist: "The biggest tip that I was given, actually, from my therapist in the UK, was just be aware of how you feel once the baby is born."
He revealed a personal anecdote about his son Archie, saying: "Every single time I went to work and I came back – if I was stressed, the moment that I held Archie, he would start crying." Despite these challenges, Harry described fatherhood as "the most important and sort of transformational role that a guy can ever, can ever move into."
Work-Life Balance and Family Dynamics
The duke also commented on balancing work and family life, noting, "I'm fortunate enough to be able to work from home." He humorously recalled the difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic: "During Covid, it was like, well, this working from home thing is really not great when you have like small kids running around, jumping into your meetings."
Sporting Engagement and Charitable Focus
Following his talk, Harry engaged in a kickabout on the Aussie rules football pitch with Western Bulldogs players Tom Liberatore, Adam Treloar, and Matthew Kennedy, wearing his Chelsea boots. He enthusiastically interacted with children, telling one boy, "Good kick man" and noting, "it's a slippery ball that." The duke also posed with a Western Bulldogs scarf and enjoyed a performance by members of The Wiggles, giving a playful wiggle in response.
At the event, Harry was presented with personalised Western Bulldogs miniature shirts bearing the names of his children, Archie and Lilibet, on the back. Movember, founded in Melbourne in 2003, is a global charity focused on men's health issues including mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. The campaign, which involves growing moustaches in November, has raised hundreds of millions of pounds worldwide.
Later Engagements in Canberra
Later in the day, Harry travelled to Canberra, where he was welcomed by Indigenous veterans at the Australian War Memorial. He attended a Last Post Ceremony, a daily event since 2013 that commemorates individual service personnel through storytelling and reflection. This visit underscored his ongoing commitment to veteran causes and community engagement during his Australian tour.
