Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spent time at the Lights Academy in Nigeria, where the Duke of Sussex gave a passionate speech on the taboo surrounding mental health struggles
Prince Harry delivered an “absolutely monumental” speech as he discussed the importance of destigmatising mental health struggles, according to an expert.
The Duke of Sussex was joined by Meghan Markle at the Lights Academy in Abuja as part of their tour of Nigeria. Addressing the room, Harry said: “There is a stigma against mental health. Too many people don’t want to talk about it because it’s invisible, it’s in your mind and we can’t see it.”
He added: “But guess what, every single person in this room, the youngest, the oldest, every single person has mental health. So therefore, you have to look after yourself in order to be able to help other people, other people have to look after themselves in order to be able to look after you.” Mental health expert Rychel Johnson, M.S., LCPC, has told The Mirror Harry’s speech is a “breath of fresh air”.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited the Lights Academy in Nigeria
She said: “As someone who has been in the therapy trenches for a number of years now specialising in anxiety disorders, Prince Harry’s candid comments on mental health felt like a breath of fresh air. In my line of work, I regularly bear witness to the utterly devastating toll that bottled-up psychological struggles can unleash on every aspect of someone’s life.”
She added: “Harry was spot on in pointing out how mental health issues carry this invisible, insidious quality that allows them to fester in silence and secrecy. So many of my clients have walked through my office doors weighed down by profound shame and self-loathing precisely because their internal suffering lacks the external validation of a physical ailment or condition.
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“The stigma perpetuates the suffering. That’s why I found his reassurances about the full emotional spectrum – sadness, stress, overwhelm, you name it – being totally normal, natural human experiences to be so powerfully validating.”
They’re taking part in a brief tour of the African country (
Image:
AP)
In his speech, Harry said: “If you woke up this morning feeling sad, if you left school feeling stressed, if you’ve lost a loved one in your family who you usually turn to or speak to, all of these things you may be led to believe are not for conversation. We are here today to tell you that that is not the case.
“Every single one of those things is completely normal.” Rychel praised Harry for trying to break down the taboo surrounding mental health.
She told us: “Our culture has this bizarre hang-up about upholding unrealistic ideals of stoicism and rigid emotional restraint. It breeds this toxic mentality that any display of vulnerability equates to weakness or deficiency. By boldly giving voice to those “bad days” and recognising them as the inevitable emotional storms we all have to weather sometimes, Harry is extending this simple yet radical permission to embrace our messy shared humanity without disclaimer or apology.”
Rychel said Harry’s speech was “absolutely monumental”. The expert explained: “When high-profile figures lead by example with this level of emotional honesty, it inherently creates more breathing room for others to follow suit without fearing intense stigma or backlash.”
She concluded: “Having impassioned advocates like Prince Harry is vital for propelling that cultural shift toward greater openness, acceptance and resource accessibility around mental health care. It’s a powerful first step in the right direction.”
