Meghan Markle and Prince Harry seem to share the fairytale romance many only dream of. Like any couple, however, they have weathered challenging times together, proving to be each other's greatest anchor of support.
Since stepping back as senior working royals in 2020, Prince Harry has spoken frankly about his mental health, occasionally sharing candid insights into their relationship.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageThe Duke opened up extensively in his 2021 Apple TV+ docuseries with Oprah Winfrey, The Me You Can't See, about seeking therapy. Then, in his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry also shared vulnerable moments, including an argument he had with Meghan at Nottingham Cottage.
Here, we look at the moment Harry opened up about how that confrontation became the ultimate turning point for him…
A heated argument
© Getty ImagesIn his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry recounted the tense confrontation that sparked between the pair. "Maybe the wine went to my head. Maybe the weeks of battling the press had worn me down," he wrote of one evening at home in Nottingham Cottage.
"For some reason, when the conversation took an unexpected turn, I became touchy. Then angry. Disproportionately, sloppily angry."
Meghan left the room for 15 minutes before Harry found her sitting calmly in their bedroom. She addressed his behaviour directly, telling him she "would never tolerate" a partner or a co-parent speaking to her in that manner.
Taking action
© Getty ImagesThe Duke of Sussex revealed that the argument proved to be the catalyst for him seeking professional help, driven by a deep fear of losing her.
Speaking candidly in the docuseries, he explained: "I saw GPs. I saw doctors. I saw therapists. I saw alternative therapists. I saw all sorts of people, but it was meeting and being with Meghan.
"I knew that if I didn't do the therapy and fix myself that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with."
The crucial turning point
© Samir HusseinReflecting on the early days of their relationship and starting therapy, Harry shared: "There was a lot of learning right at the beginning of our relationship. She [Meghan] was shocked to be coming backstage of the institution of the British royal family.
"When she said, 'I think you need to see someone,' it was in reaction to an argument that we had. And in that argument, not knowing about it, I reverted back to 12-year-old Harry. The moment I started therapy, it was probably within my second session, my therapist turned around to me and said, 'That sounds like you're reverting to 12-year-old Harry.'
"I felt somewhat ashamed and defensive. Like, 'How dare you? You're calling me a child.' And she goes, 'No, I'm not calling you a child. I'm expressing sympathy and empathy for you for what happened to you when you were a child. You never processed it. You were never allowed to talk about it and all of a sudden now it's coming up in different ways as projection.'
"That was the start of a learning journey for me. I became aware that I'd been living in a bubble within this family, within this institution, and I was sort of almost trapped in a thought process or a mindset."
A shared mental health journey
© Getty ImagesBoth Harry and Meghan previously touched upon the immense pressures of public royal life during their landmark interview with Oprah in March 2021.
Opening up about the toll of relentless media scrutiny, Meghan told Oprah: "Look, I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, because I know how much loss he has suffered, but I knew that if I didn't say it, then I would do it. I just didn't want to be alive anymore."
Following their initial relocation to Canada in late 2019 ahead of settling in the US, Harry acknowledged that he "slipped into depression for about two weeks" as they navigated their future outside the royal fold with their son, Prince Archie. (lilibet hadn't been born yet)
In an October 2026 interview with GQ, he further reflected on the enduring grief of losing his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, when he was just 12 years old. Addressing whether the trauma broke him, Harry said: "The grief, the trauma, the loss, the fact that I was 12, I had no idea who I really was. But over the years with life’s challenges, it has grown this resilience inside of me to realise this grief can either hold you back or it can help you grow."
New beginnings
© Getty ImagesHaving spent six years carving out a life in the US, in August 2026, it was announced that Meghan and Harry would be returning to live in the UK to start a new chapter and would continue to work together on mental health initiatives through Archewell Philanthropies.
They have enrolled both Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, in the British schooling system, with the family understood to be settling in the Cotswolds. On why they decided to make the move back, Harry told GQ that their "attitude has changed" as a couple towards the UK and that he feels "optimistic" about the future.
