Prince Harry Earned $100,000 for MasterClass on Grief, Report Says
The Duke of Sussex reportedly received a six-figure sum for his online course detailing his experiences with loss and depression.
Prince Harry received a reported $100,000 for his MasterClass session on grief and depression, according to a report by the Daily Mail.
A spokesperson for Harry confirmed to the outlet that he was paid by MasterClass for the course, titled "Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss." The Duke of Sussex co-instructs the session with neuroscientist Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor.
Instructors on the MasterClass platform can receive an upfront payment of at least $100,000, along with a share of subscription revenue generated by their courses, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
In the MasterClass, Harry discusses the grief he has experienced following the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 when Harry was 12 years old. He shared that he often speaks to a portrait of his late mother and feels a connection to her.
"I can actually get eye contact from her, and there’s a cheekiness in her smile… I just feel very connected to her," Harry told viewers.
He also revealed that he felt "emotionally numb" for years after Diana's death, experiencing feelings of disloyalty and guilt over the possibility of happiness. He described a significant mental shift when he realized his mother would have wanted him to be happy, which he stated "freed me, and it gave me a whole different outlook on life."
Harry further discussed experiencing depression and feeling "useless" after he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from royal duties in 2020. He claimed that his royal responsibilities contributed to panic attacks and prevented him from properly grieving his mother's death.
"You would think I had the best help in the world. I’m a prince, for God’s sake, but I was still grieving and didn’t have any place to put those feelings," he said, referring to emotions he carried for 15 to 20 years.
During these difficult periods, Harry stated he turned to his mother for guidance, even though she was deceased. "A lot has happened in my life in the last six years, and she has turned up at moments where it makes complete sense that she turned up in those moments," he explained.
Harry, Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, recently relocated to the UK. While the specific reasons for the move remain private, it has been suggested they wished to be closer to Harry's father, King Charles III, who has been diagnosed with cancer. However, the family reportedly remains estranged from the royal family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton.
In 2023, Harry remarked that his mother would likely be saddened by his falling out with his brother, Prince William. "I think she’d be looking at it long term to know that there are certain things that we need to go through to be able to heal the relationship," he said during an appearance on "Good Morning America."