The Duke of Sussex has spoken about the impact the former Suits actress had on his life, which changed drastically in the years following their 2018 marriage, with the couple stirring controversy by exiting their senior royal roles in 2020 and leaving his native United Kingdom to move to her home country of the United States.
“People have said that my wife saved me,” Harry told Dr. Gabor Maté, a trauma, addiction, stress and childhood development expert, during a livestream March 4, according to multiple outlets. “I was stuck in this world, and she was from a different world and helped draw me out of that. But none of the elements of my life now would have been possible without me seeing it for myself.”
Harry continued, “My partner is an exceptional human being and I am eternally grateful for the wisdom and the space that she’s been able to give to me.”
The chat was primarily held to discuss the duke’s now-bestselling memoir Spare, in which he detailed his feelings toward the Royal family and the U.K. tabloid press with regard to their alleged treatment of him and Meghan, with whom he shares son Archie Harrison, 3, and daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana, 21 months.
During the conversation, Harry was asked about how lack of physical contact from some of the members of the royal family has shaped his parenting philosophy. The duke, who noted in his book that his father, King Charles III, “wasn’t great at showing emotions,” replied, “It leaves me in the position how as a father, I have two kids of my own, making sure that I smother them with love and affection.” Harry continued, “There are times when I catch myself in a moment when I should be smothering them with that love and in that moment, I might not be, reminding myself [to]. I wouldn’t have been as aware of it had I not done the therapy and work that I’ve done.”