Prince Harry says he relates to Robin Williams’ son in new interview
Prince Harry said Friday that he can relate to Zak Williams — the eldest son of the late Robin Williams — as the two men both struggled with mental health after the loss of a parent.
The Duke of Sussex said on “Good Morning America” that he and Oprah Winfrey experienced a “key moment” while speaking with Zak, who said serving others has helped him cope with his own trauma.
“Zak’s story is a classic example in the sort of the parallel thread between what happened with him at his age and what happened to me at my age, it’s remarkably similar,” Harry told “GMA” co-anchor Robin Roberts. “There was one thing that he said in a follow-up conversation, which was [that] his service to others, has helped heal him.
“And I think that was a really key moment for Oprah, myself and Zak … for us to go, wow,” he added. “It’s true, Oprah, in your career. It’s been true for me and I started the Invictus Games [in 2014].
“To be able to create something to watch other people heal is part of our own healing process, and I think that compassionate element of being able to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and be able … to help in a healing process is absolutely critical.”
Zak revealed on “The Dr. Oz show” last year that he struggled with depression and addiction following the loss of his father to suicide.
He said that finding “forms of healing, specifically relating to not only a healthy lifestyle, but also connecting with people,” has improved his mental health.
Harry revealed in the mental health-focused Apple+ series, “The Me You Can’t See” — which he co-created and executive produced with Winfrey — that he went to therapy to help deal with the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, at the behest of his wife, Meghan Markle.
“I quickly established that, if this relationship was going to work, that I was going to have to deal with my past,” he said. “If we hold on to grief, it manifests itself and appears later in life. That is what I’ve learned from this process.”