The Duke of Sussex is joining forces with the Queen of Talk.
The Duke of Sussex is joining forces with the Queen of Talk.
On Wednesday, Prince Harry announced that he and Oprah Winfrey will be co-creators and executive producers on an upcoming mental health documentary series for Apple.
According to a press release, "The multi-part documentary series will focus on both mental illness and mental wellness, inspiring viewers to have an honest conversation about the challenges each of us faces, and how to equip ourselves with the tools to thrive, rather than to simply survive."
"I truly believe that good mental health – mental fitness – is the key to powerful leadership, productive communities and a purpose-driven self," Harry said in a statement about the upcoming collaboration with Oprah. "It is a huge responsibility to get this right as we bring you the facts, the science and the awareness of a subject that is so relevant during these times. Our hope is that this series will be positive, enlightening and inclusive -- sharing global stories of unparalleled human spirit fighting back from the darkest places, and the opportunity for us to understand ourselves and those around us better."
The 34-year-old royal concluded, "I am incredibly proud to be working alongside Oprah on this vital series which we have been developing together for several months."
Last month, Winfrey announced that she would be working on projects for Apple TV, and discussed during the company's roll-out event that she was working on a series about mental health.
“The other yet-unnamed multi-part series focuses on mental health and how the scourge of anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, trauma is just devastating lives daily across the globe,” she shared. “If we do our jobs right, we are going to replace shame and we are going to replace stigma with wisdom, compassion and honesty.”
On Wednesday's CBS This Morning, Winfrey spoke further with Gayle King about how this project came about with Harry.
"Well, I was having a conversation with him. I asked a question, 'What do you think are the most important issues facing the world right now?' He said there are two, climate change and mental wellness and mental fitness," she shared. "As you know, he’s spoken about his own issues of what he went through after his mother [Princess Diana] died and how being able to talk about it has benefited him. So, it’s a passion of his, and at the end of the conversation, I said, 'Oh, I will be doing this thing with Apple. It’s a big concern of mine too, and I want to try to erase the stigma.'"
She continued, "I was telling him about this Apple platform and he said at the end of the conversation, 'If there is anything I can do to help...' And I said, 'Uh, as a matter of fact...'"
Winfrey explained further what they are planning for the series. "We are doing a multi-part docuseries on mental health and the spectrum. Harry is co-creating this with me and he is executive producing this with me," she noted. "We’ve had several meetings, we’ve had secret meetings in London, I have flown there with the crew, sitting in sessions talking about directions we will take. Our hope is it will have an impact on reducing the stigma and allowing people to know they are not alone and allowing people to speak up on it and identify it for their friends."
Winfrey and Harry both seem very passionate about this series and have known each other long before this project came about. Winfrey attended Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding last May and also had a one-on-one chat with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, at her home.
In an interview with ET, the 65-year-old TV personality recalled what it was like to be at the royal wedding, calling the event "transformative."
"It was more than a wedding, I thought," she explained. "It was a cultural moment. And you could not be there or watching on television… and not feel that there was a shift that just happened in the middle of it."
Here's more of Winfrey talking about the royal family:
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