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Prince Harry has spent years publicly unpacking his grief over the death of his mother, Princess Diana. But his latest revelations have sparked renewed skepticism among royal experts.
The Duke of Sussex opened up about how losing his mother when he was 12 affected his life in a new MasterClass course titled "Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss," which debuted Oct. 8.
In the course, Harry spoke with neuroscientist and grief expert Dr. Mary-Frances O'Connor about how grief can affect the brain and body.
Prince Harry's MasterClass, titled "Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss," was released on Oct. 8, 2026. The Duke of Sussex is seen here speaking onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative 2026 Annual Meeting at New York Hilton Midtown on Sept. 23, 2026, in New York City. (JP Yim/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative)
The Daily Mail reported that Harry pocketed $100,000, plus a share of subscription revenue for his class. A source told the outlet, "I'd encourage everyone to watch it before casting any judgment," adding that he should not be criticized at length for "speaking from the heart."
Forbes previously reported that most MasterClass instructors get at least $100,000 and a share of at least 30% of revenue.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex at Project Healthy Minds' World Mental Health Day Festival held at Spring Studios on Oct. 9, 2025, in New York City. (Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)
The Daily Mail reported that a spokesperson confirmed Harry was paid by MasterClass but declined to comment further. Past stars featured on the platform include Martin Scorsese, Gordon Ramsay and Hillary Clinton, among others.
Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell and MasterClass for comment.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, attends the United For Freedom Gala at the Imperial War Museum in London, on Oct. 1, 2026. (WireImage)
Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that Harry's decision to repeatedly revisit his grief through books, interviews and media projects has fueled debate over whether the 42-year-old is profiting from the tragedy he shares with his brother, Prince William, who has largely chosen to grieve outside the spotlight.
"Prince Harry has spoken extensively about his emotional scars and unresolved grief surrounding the death of his mother," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, take part in a Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, Australia, on April 16, 2026. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
"However, Harry continuously paints himself a victim," Chard said. "Blame always falls on someone else. He realizes people's interest in Diana and, let's not forget, it makes a quick buck. It's seen as a cash grab, cashing in on his mother's death. It plays into the reported title 'Grief Grifter.'"
Prince William and Prince Harry arrive for the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, on what would have been her 60th birthday on July 1, 2021, in London, England. (Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"The public understands the heartache Harry and William must have endured after their mother passed away," Chard said. "Grief affects people in different ways, and both boys endured divergent paths of grief."
Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, reacts as he meets with scholars and alumni of The Amos Bursary in London on Oct. 14, 2026. Founded by Baroness Valerie Amos and Colleen Amos in 2009, The Amos Bursary is a charity that supports high-achieving young people of African and Caribbean heritage. (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
According to People magazine, MasterClass approached Harry about developing a class on grief in 2025. The course was filmed in California during the summer of 2026, before Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, traveled back to the U.K.
People reported that the course, released ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, supports two charities: Scotty's Little Soldiers, a U.K. organization that helps children and young people whose parents died during or after service in the British Armed Forces, and Comfort Zone Camp, a U.S. nonprofit that provides bereavement camps for grieving children.
Diana, Princess of Wales, leaves the British Lung Foundation in Hatton Garden after being presented with a bouquet of the first rose named after her. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
According to The Times, William does not plan to make a film about Diana to mark the 30th anniversary of her death in 2027, in part to avoid further conflict with Harry. The outlet also reported that William has declined several offers to make or appear in documentaries about his mother.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, left, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana, at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace, London on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday. (Dominic Lipinski/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Harry is considering several projects to mark the 30th anniversary of Diana's death, according to People magazine. While several ideas are under discussion, the outlet reported that no documentary has been finalized or confirmed. Several sources told People that Harry has reached out to family members and friends of his late mother.
The class also arrived just weeks after Princess Diana's younger brother, Charles Spencer, released his memoir, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister."
Copies of Charles Spencer's book about his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, are displayed on its publication day at Foyles on Charing Cross Road in London, England, on Sept. 22, 2026. The book, "Swan Song - Diana, My Sister," recounts Earl Spencer's childhood with Diana. King Charles is quoted in the book as saying, "We'll forget her soon enough." (In Pictures via Getty Images)
At the beginning of the course, Harry recalled his reaction to learning of his mother's death.
Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Earl Spencer and Prince William stand at Westminster Abbey during the funeral service for Diana, Princess of Wales, on Sept. 6, 1997. (Getty Images)
"I didn't cry when I was told my mom died, only at her burial, and then not again for nearly two decades," he said, as quoted by People. "I was convinced that was strength, but it wasn't. It was a 12-year-old boy with no permission to fall apart and no roadmap for how to heal."
"You would think I had the best help in the world," Harry said. "I'm a prince for God's sake. But I was still grieving and didn't have any place to put those feelings."
Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, found it "bizarre and cruel" to make Prince William and Prince Harry walk behind their mother's coffin at her funeral. (Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images)
In his 2023 memoir, "Spare," Harry wrote that his father, King Charles III, didn't hug him after telling him Diana had died.
Prince Charles and Diana's sisters Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Jane Fellowes are seen here on Aug. 31, 1997, following Princess Diana's death in a car crash. (AFP via Getty Images)
"Pa didn't hug me," Harry wrote. "He wasn't great at showing emotions under normal circumstances. How could he be expected to show them in such a crisis? His hand did fall once more on my knee, and he said, 'It's going to be OK.' That was quite a lot for him. Fatherly, hopeful, kind. And so very untrue."
For some royal experts, however, the issue isn't whether Harry has a right to discuss his grief, but his decision to repeatedly revisit it publicly.
Prince Harry attends the Time100 Sports Gala at Pier Sixty on July 16, 2026, in New York City. (WWD via Getty Images)
"Sadly, Harry hasn't dealt well at all with his grief," British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
Fordwich echoed Chard's criticism, saying Harry has faced accusations of being a "grief grifter" for repeatedly discussing his mother's death through public projects that could generate revenue.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the U.K. six years after leaving for California. (Getty Images)
"What mother would want her child to be miserable and mourning so many years later?" Fordwich asked.
Other royal commentators see Harry's decision differently. Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Harry is using his platform to raise awareness of mental health issues and encourage others to discuss their experiences and seek help.
Prince William and Prince Harry look at floral tributes to Diana, Princess of Wales, outside Kensington Palace in London, England, on Sept. 5, 1997. (WireImage)
"I feel this is not a ploy on his part to create attention or sympathy from the public," Turner said. "I see it as an act of bravery on his part to distance himself from former royal trappings and show himself as most people see him: a man of the people."
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, attends the Invictus Games Foundation's inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards at Old Royal Naval College in London on Sept. 17, 2026. (WireImage)
Harry also said he spent years feeling that experiencing happiness would mean betraying his mother's memory.
"I'd spent so long emotionally numb, to a large extent, because I felt disloyal and guilty for the possibility of being happy and joyful without her," Harry said. "I felt like I had to be sad, and I had to be emotionally numb in order to prove to her that I missed her."
Prince William and Prince Harry stand with Prince Charles holding a funeral program at Westminster Abbey for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in London. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
"But the reality is, what I discovered was actually she just wanted me to be happy," Harry said. "And that was a huge mental shift for me. It freed me, and it gave me a whole different outlook on life."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seen here leaving St Paul's Cathedral after attending the Service of Thanksgiving during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London, on June 3, 2022. (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
In the course, Harry also described his experience after moving to Canada with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their son, Prince Archie, in late 2019. The couple stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020, citing intrusive British media coverage and a lack of support from the palace as reasons for their departure.
Harry said he experienced an "adrenaline crash."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex headed to Canada in late 2019 before settling in California. (PA Images via Getty Images)
"We moved to Canada to get some space away from everything, just to be able to think," Harry said. "Being in Canada, away from the stressful environment where presumably my body was just pumped full of adrenaline, within two or three days, I experienced this adrenaline crash — something that I'd never experienced before."
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024, in Hollywood, California. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for W+P)
"It was as if I needed stress in order to get the adrenaline to make my brain function because I became useless around the house," Harry said. "I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks and I felt like I couldn't function without adrenaline."
Harry's disclosure that he experienced depression shortly after leaving royal life caught Chard's attention.
Prince Harry's book "Spare" is displayed in a bookstore on Dec. 16, 2023, in Bath, England. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
"The new narrative that he was depressed for a couple of weeks after leaving the British royal family is slightly suspect and does not resonate with his 'Freedom Flight,'" Chard said. "Harry wears his heart on his sleeve, and many doubt he'd forgotten to state this information in his previous memoir, documentaries and interviews."
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the Project Healthy Minds 3rd Annual Gala at Spring Studios in New York City on Oct. 9, 2025. (Getty Images)
"This is definitely new information and slightly changes the narrative," Chard said.
Harry also said that carrying out royal duties triggered anxiety and panic attacks.
Prince Charles and Prince Harry smile for a photo together in 2019. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
"There was a time where public engagements just created absolute panic right from beginning to end," Harry said. "The panic was having to put my suit, jacket, and tie on and suddenly feel suffocated. The panic was going from A to B, getting out of the car in front of all the cameras and the clicks.
Prince Harry told the BBC in 2025 that he's ready for reconciliation with his family after stepping back as a senior royal in 2020. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
"I started to realize that I had become seriously depleted when just putting a simple dress shirt on — the tightening of the collar — literally felt like I was suffocating, and I would be experiencing panic attacks just in the car on the way to work," Harry said. "And that's when I realized, OK, there's something bigger, there's something else that you need to look into here."
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital he believes Harry will continue discussing Diana's death if he moves forward with a documentary about his mother.
Princess Diana leaves a press conference at the Hilton Hotel in London on Dec. 3, 1993. (Getty Images)
"There is no doubt he is likely to continue emphasizing his vulnerability after Princess Diana's death," Fitzwilliams said. "We saw the emotional Harry on MasterClass, yet again."
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend the David Foster Foundation 40th Anniversary Celebration on Aug. 7, 2026, in Victoria, British Columbia. (The David Foster Foundation via Getty Images)
Harry also credited therapy with helping him confront grief he had carried for decades.
"I learned more about myself in two or three sessions than I had done in 20 years," Harry said. "First of all, she helped me accept and acknowledge that I was grieving and that it was okay to grieve and that what happened to me was really quite hard."
Diana, Princess of Wales, died in 1997. She was 36. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Nearly three decades after Diana's death, Harry and William continue to take different approaches to honoring their mother's memory — one through public revelations, the other largely away from the spotlight.
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