In an emotional address, Prince Harry shared one of his most personal reflections yet, admitting he never wanted a royal role following the loss of Princess Diana. Speaking candidly to business leaders in Australia, he described feeling uneasy about his future within the institution, revealing he once resisted the path ahead and struggled to accept the life expected of him.

Prince Harry has given an emotional speech to a summit of business leaders, worth $997 per ticket, admitting he never wanted to be a working royal and that the job ‘killed his mum’.

It killed my mum': Harry bares all as he reveals why he wanted to quit royal life during emotional speech at $997-a-head summit | Daily Mail Online

Speaking at the InterEdge Summit at Melbourne Park on Thursday, he made the admission to Australian business leader and former politician Brendan Nelson.

‘After my mum died just before my 13th birthday – I was like: ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role – wherever this is headed, I don’t like it,’ he said.

‘It killed my mum, and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.

‘Eventually I realised – well, hang on, if there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world?

‘And also, what would my mum want me to do? And that really changed my own perspective.’

It has been an emotional day for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their last day in Melbourne, with Meghan Markle, 41, opening up about the aggressive online bullying she has received for a decade.

‘Every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked,’ she said during a circle discussion about social media and mental health at the wellbeing program Baytr.

‘And I was the most trolled person in the entire world.’

The couple are due to fly to Sydney later on Thursday.

‘It killed my mum’: Harry reveals he ‘never’ wanted to be a working royal

The Duke of Sussex delivers the keynote speech at the InterEdge Summit, at Centrepiece in Melbourne Park, Victoria on day three of the royal trip to Australia. Picture date: Thursday April 16, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
Prince William with Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Harry on the day he joined Eton in September 1995. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

Prince Harry has said he never wanted to be a working royal after his mother, the late Princess Diana, died when he was a teenager.

Speaking at the InterEdge Summit at Melbourne Park on Thursday, he made the admission to Australian business leader and former politician Brendan Nelson.

‘After my mum died just before my 13th birthday – I was like: ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role – wherever this is headed, I don’t like it,’ he said, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

‘It killed my mum, and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.

‘Eventually I realised – well, hang on, if there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world?

‘And also, what would my mum want me to do? And that really changed my own perspective.’

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex delivers the keynote speech at the InterEdge Summit at Centrepiece in Melbourne Park, Australia Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP)

Harry told the gathered attendees that he had felt ‘lost, betrayed, or completely powerless’ at points in his life.

‘When I was invited to speak at this summit, I wasn’t sure whether I was expected to speak as someone who, despite everything, has their s*** together,’ he said.

‘Or as someone who, despite what it may look like, actually doesn’t have his shit together.

‘But I was struck by something quite simple – that while my experiences may be unusual, the feelings that come with them are not. In my experience, loss is disorienting at any age.’

The Duke of Sussex also used his speech to call out social media companies, saying that people stop questioning and normalise unhealthy behaviour.

‘Nowhere is that more visible than in the digital world because many of the systems shaping our reality, our attention, our self-worth and our relationships were not built around human wellbeinh,’ he said.

‘Too many of these platforms are not designed with safety in mind… And we know these companies have the capability to understand who their users are.

‘They can target young people with extraordinary precision … but when it comes to protecting those same young people, we are told that it’s too difficult, too complex, it can’t be done.

‘That contradiction should concern all of us because if a platform is capable of targeting a child, it is surely capable of protecting them, and if it is not doing so, that is not a failure of technology. It is a failure of responsibility.’

Meghan: ‘I was the most trolled person in the world’ and was bullied every day for 10 years

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 16: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meets advocates during a visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement programme, at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn on day three of the royal trip with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, on April 16, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. The Scar Tree Walk is a journey connecting traditional and contemporary Aboriginal cultures and histories of the Kulin Nation. The royal couple are on a four-day visit to Australia, with engagements across Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. (Photo by Jonathan Brady-Pool/Getty Images)

The Duchess of Sussex has revealed how the aggressive online bullying she received for 10 years made her ‘the most trolled person in the entire world’.

The admission came during her visit with Prince Harry to the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Program, Batyr, on the grounds of Swinburne University.

‘Every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked,’ she said during a circle discussion about social media and mental health, Press Association reports.

‘And I was the most trolled person in the entire world.’

The Duchess said technology companies are ‘not incentivised to stop’ bullying and harrassment online.

‘I can speak to that really personally, which is why I like to listen because it rings true for me in a very real way,’ she said.

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex takes part in discussion group with young advocates during a visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement program at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP)

During the visit, the Duke of Sussex took the opportunity to praise Australia’s social media ban for teenagers as ‘epic’.

‘Australia took the lead. Your government was the first country in the world to bring about a ban,’ he said.

‘Now we can sit here and debate the pros and cons of a ban – I’m not here to judge that. All I will say is from a responsibility and leadership standpoint – epic.

‘So many countries have now followed suit, but it should have never got to a ban.’

Meghan’s two-word review of Australia

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were smiling as they exited the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Program, Batyr, on the grounds of Swinburne University.

As they left, people began changing ‘Har-ry, Har-ry’ and calling out Meghan’s name.

Some members of the crowd asked if she would return to Australia, to which she responded: ‘Oh gosh, I’d love to come back. It’s brilliant.’

Channel 7 reporter Paul Dowsley seemed unfazed by his Harry selfie blow-off on Thursday morning’s Scar Tree Walk event.

Upon Prince Harry and Meghan’s exit from the facility, the undeterred TV reporter moved from behind Harry’s shoulder.

Just as his Seven cameraman was getting great vision of the Duke putting his wife into the waiting car, Dowsley thrust his microphone across the top of a burly security guard towards the Duke’s face.

Harry studiously ignored him, and the Duchess stepped elegantly into the Range Rover.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP)

The couple then arrived at the InterEdge Summit at Melbourne Park at precisely 1pm, where the Duke was due to deliver his address during a session entitled Beyond Policy, How We Show Up, Speak Up, then Shape Safer Work Places.

The Sussexes were due to leave before afternoon tea and conversation, around 2.40pm.

The two-day event, which costs ‘virtual’ attendees $498 and in-person ‘delegates’ $997, will see all proceeds go to Lifeline.

Channel 7 reporter sparks chaos after trying to snap a selfie with Prince Harry

16 APRIL 2026 MELBOURNE AUWWW.MATRIXPICTURES.COM.AUNON EXCLUSIVE PICTURESThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured on the Scar Tree Walk from Federation Square to Yarra Park. NOTE: The caption above is the photographer's impression only and may or may not be factual. It is the responsibility of the end user, publisher or licensee to verify the data before publication. All editorial images subject to the following: For editorial use only. Additional clearance required for commercial, wireless, internet or promotional use.Images may not be altered or modified. Matrix Media Group makes no representations or warranties regarding names, trademarks or logos appearing in the images.DISCLAIMER: To the maximum extent permitted by law, we make no representations or warranties about our Content, including (without limitation) that:They are complete, accurate, reliable, up-to-date and suitable for any particular purpose.RIGHTS MANAGED - EDITORIAL USE ONLY - STRICT ENFORCEMENT© MATRIX MEDIA GROUP 20
16 APRIL 2026 MELBOURNE AUWWW.MATRIXPICTURES.COM.AUNON EXCLUSIVE PICTURESThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured on the Scar Tree Walk from Federation Square to Yarra Park. NOTE: The caption above is the photographer's impression only and may or may not be factual. It is the responsibility of the end user, publisher or licensee to verify the data before publication. All editorial images subject to the following: For editorial use only. Additional clearance required for commercial, wireless, internet or promotional use.Images may not be altered or modified. Matrix Media Group makes no representations or warranties regarding names, trademarks or logos appearing in the images.DISCLAIMER: To the maximum extent permitted by law, we make no representations or warranties about our Content, including (without limitation) that:They are complete, accurate, reliable, up-to-date and suitable for any particular purpose.RIGHTS MANAGED - EDITORIAL USE ONLY - STRICT ENFORCEMENT© MATRIX MEDIA GROUP 20

Near the conclusion of the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, which lasted barely half an hour, a Channel 7 TV reporter tried to get a selfie with Harry – sparking chaos.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s communications director Liam Maguire was previously seen engaging in several friendly conversations with Paul Dowsley.

However, the reporter began to attract the attention of the couple’s staff as he darted in and out of camera shots during PA Media’s filming of Harry and Meghan for UK audiences.

It culminated in an awkward moment between the reporter and the Prince on Thursday morning, who appeared to prod Dowsley out of the way of Meghan’s path as he tried to snap a selfie.

After wearing a snappy blue suit the day before, Dowsley was dressed in a beige suit and flowered tie as he tried to get the selfie.

Dowsley told the Daily Mail that the interactions with Harry were all good-humoured, and that the Duke had even complimented him on his bold tie choice.

‘I suppose it’s a break in protocol to ask for a selfie with a royal, but he told me that I’m always so well-dressed,’ he said.

The energetic former Kyle & Jackie O producer, who once worked for TV comic Bert Newton, has been present at every Sussex venue trying to get exclusives.

He was seen being ushered away by a burly security guard, known as ‘Chris from Texas’ by reporters following the tour, as the couple stepped out for an event at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum on Tuesday night.

15737129 Aussies are saying the same thing about this moment between Harry and Meghan as couple begin third day of tour: 'A love like this'

Meghan puts details of $6,836 Australia outfits online for fans to buy

Meghan Markle is now making money out of fans buying her clothes after putting details of her wardrobe online following a deal with an AI-powered fashion website.

The Duchess of Sussex has become a participant and investor in OneOff so she can promote the outfits she has worn during her tour of Australia.

At Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital on Tuesday, Meghan wore a $1,250 ‘Priscilla’ dress from local designer Karen Gee, with $780 ‘Puffy Hearts’ stud earrings by Real Fine Studio and $120 ‘Iridescent’ Christian Dior leather pumps.

All three were promoted on OneOff with links – but it did not mention a Tiffany gold bracelet and the late Princess Diana’s Cartier watch, which she was also wearing.

Composite image ID: 435931

Later at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum, she had a $1,000 St Agni suede ‘Utility Cocoon Bomber’ jacket, an $890 suede ‘Column skirt’ by the same brand; a $220 ‘Annie’ top by PJ Femme and ‘Purist’ 105mm pointed-toe pumps by Aquazzura which are sold out in the US but cost £479 ($904) in the UK.

OneOff, an American firm based in Los Angeles, also features photos of Meghan from previous events and at her home with options to buy the clothing she is wearing.

She has a personal page on the site which already works with a series of actresses such as Kate Hudson, Emma Roberts, Shay Mitchell and Suki Waterhouse.

OneOff bosses claimed in a press release that Meghan wanted to join the platform because of its global reach and to ensure the right designers get the proper credit.

01:46

Meghan’s glam outfit change for mental health centre

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, for a visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement programme, on day three of the royal trip to Australia. Picture date: Thursday April 16, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
The Duchess of Sussex during a visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement programme, at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, on day three of the royal trip to Australia. Picture date: Thursday April 16, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

The Duke and Duchess have visited the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Program, Batyr, on the grounds of Swinburne University.

They discussed therapies that help young people talk openly about their mental health and take charge of their wellbeing.

While Meghan sported a more casual look on Thursday morning, she stepped out in Hawthorn wearing a khaki shift dress, The Anya, which retails on Friends with Frank for $389.

She paired the look with black stiletto heels and dark tights, accessoring with simple gold rings and, once again, a gold Cartier Tank Française watch, thought to have belonged to Prince Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana.

The timepiece sells for $48,000 new, though Meghan’s would likely be priceless.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during a visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement programme, at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, on day three of the royal trip to Australia. Picture date: Thursday April 16, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

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