Prince Harry Opens Up About The Extreme Toll The Pandemic Has Taken

In a bonus episode of his mental health docuseries "The Me You Can't See," Prince Harry discusses the COVID-19 pandemic in regard to the toll it has taken on people all over the world. The Duke of Sussex and Oprah Winfrey's joint effort to raise awareness about the importance mental health has received mixed reviews, as evidenced by the critics' comments on Rotten Tomatoes. The now-6-part series was released back on May 21, and has been making headlines ever since.

The bonus episode was released on May 27, and included a guest appearance by actor Glenn Close. She sat down with Harry and Oprah for a virtual chat in which the three openly discussed the struggles that the pandemic has caused. "So many people around the world seem to think 'it's nothing' or 'it's mental illness', but this area in between is where we all are," Harry said, according to the Daily Mail. He added that it's important to "improve and invest in preventative care." However, it was what Harry and Close said about how the pandemic has played a role in changing every person collectively that is making headlines. Read on for more.

The coronavirus pandemic may have affected people all over the world differently, but every single person had a reaction to learning about the illness and living through some extremely tough times. In the bonus episode of "The Me You Can't See," Prince Harry talks about how the challenges of the pandemic sort of united the world. "Pre-COVID there was probably a situation of us and them when it came to mental illness. Now I think it's just us," Harry said, according to the Daily Mail, suggesting that we're all in this together. 

Glenn Close agreed with Harry, saying "we have gone through an unprecedented time... we are now in a transforming world." The actor also compared the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on the world to what happened after 9/11, saying that COVID-19 is "just as big as 9/11 was," according to the Daily Mail. She went on to suggest that people need to "take the time in solitude and in quiet to figure out how [they] have changed and how it has affected how [them]."

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.