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Prince Harry is changing the narrative around who introduced him to the idea of taking care of his mental health, according to a royal expert. Here’s why this expert says Prince Harry is becoming like Meghan Markle by telling his own version of events and ‘developing his own truth.’

Angela Levin says Prince Harry told her Meghan Markle didn’t help with his mental health

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a Creative Industries and Business Reception in 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

According to Angela Levin, author of Camillia: From Outcast to Queen Consort, Prince Harry once said Prince William encouraged him to seek mental health treatment. However, Levin says Harry later said it was Meghan who prompted him to take care of his mental health.

During an interview with GB News, Levin asserts that Prince Harry is telling his own version of events. For example, she says Prince Harry claims he never heard about looking after mental health before he met Meghan.

According to her, Harry says Meghan is the one who introduced him to the idea of taking care of his mental health. However, Levin says Prince Harry once said it was his brother, Prince William, who encouraged him.

“He said he had never heard about being looked after mentally before Meghan came along,” says Levin. “And she really helped him. That’s absolutely wrong, because when I interviewed him for my biography of him in 2017, we talked a great deal about mental health. And right at the end, he started going out with Meghan. I said to him, ‘Does Meghan know anything about it? Has she encouraged you or helped you?’ He said, ‘Absolutely not; she’s not involved at all.’”

Levin says she now finds that conversation “very interesting.” Levin says this was a firsthand conversation she had with Prince Harry. She notes that later on, Prince Harry started saying that Meghan did help him improve his mental health.

Angela Levin says Prince Harry’s story changed

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Levin says Harry was exposed to the idea of taking care of his mental health before he met Meghan. She says Harry told her about Prince William’s efforts to encourage him to seek mental health treatment.

 “In 2013, before Meghan came along, William, his brother, was trying very hard to get him to see someone,” says Levin. “And he said to me, ‘I’ve turned it down. I’ve buried my head in the sand. I do get very panic-stricken because I know I’m not mentally sound.’”

Levin says Prince Harry probably responded to his brother this way because he didn’t want William telling him what to do. She says this is a common reaction among siblings. However, Levin says Harry was also part of a charity with Prince William and Kate Middleton, where they put a spotlight on mental health.

Royal expert says Meghan and Harry ‘don’t seem to mind’ if what they say isn’t true

Levin doesn’t believe Harry didn’t have access to therapy and that he wasn’t looked after. According to her, he is “developing his own truth.”

“I think unfortunately, he’s following Meghan’s way and he’s developing his own truth about things,” says Levin during her interview with GB News. “It is ridiculous now, the way that the two of them don’t seem to mind whether it’s wrong or whether it’s untrue. It’s their truth.”

Our take

Prince Harry acknowledges during a 2017 interview with Bryony Gordon that Prince William supported him. It’s possible Harry is saying his brother encouraged him to get help, but he didn’t take the first step until he started dating Meghan.

It doesn’t seem like Harry is saying he never heard of the idea of taking care of his mental health. He was part of the Heads Together initiative with Kate and William in May 2016 before his relationship with Meghan started in July 2016, so it’s unlikely he forgot about that. Perhaps Meghan became involved in Harry’s mental health journey later in their relationship. Only they know the details.  

Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.