Prince Harry has been paid a reported $100,000, plus a cut of subscription revenue, for a new MasterClass course in which he discusses the death of his mother, Princess Diana. The course, titled “Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss,” debuted Oct. 8 and features Harry in conversation with neuroscientist and grief expert Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor.
The Daily Mail first reported the payment figure. A source told the outlet, “I’d encourage everyone to watch it before casting any judgment,” and argued Harry should not be criticized for “speaking from the heart.” Forbes has previously reported that most MasterClass instructors receive at least $100,000 plus a minimum 30% share of revenue. A MasterClass spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail that Harry was paid but declined to comment further.
The course was filmed in California during the summer of 2026, before Harry and Meghan Markle traveled to the United Kingdom, according to People magazine. It was released ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10 and supports two charities: Scotty’s Little Soldiers in the U.K., which helps children whose parents died during or after service in the British Armed Forces, and Comfort Zone Camp, a U.S. nonprofit running bereavement camps for grieving children.
Royal Experts Split
British broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that Harry “continuously paints himself a victim” and said the public sees the course as cashing in. “He realizes people’s interest in Diana and, let’s not forget, it makes a quick buck,” Chard said. “It’s seen as a cash grab, cashing in on his mother’s death. It plays into the reported title ‘Grief Grifter.'”
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich made a similar point. “Sadly, Harry hasn’t dealt well at all with his grief,” she said, adding, “What mother would want her child to be miserable and mourning so many years later?”
Not everyone agrees. Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he sees Harry’s openness as a genuine attempt to raise awareness of mental health. “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.”
What Harry Said
In the course, Harry described learning of his mother’s death at age 12. “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, according to 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.”
He also said he spent years believing that experiencing happiness would be a betrayal of 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. “But the reality is, what I discovered was actually she just wanted me to be happy. And that was a huge mental shift for me.”
Harry described an “adrenaline crash” after he, Meghan and their son Archie moved to Canada in late 2019, following the couple’s departure from royal duties. “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,” he said. “I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks and I felt like I couldn’t function without adrenaline.”
Chard questioned the timing of that disclosure. “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,'” she 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. This is definitely new information and slightly changes the narrative.”
Harry also said royal engagements triggered panic attacks. “The panic was having to put my suit, jacket, and tie on and suddenly feel suffocated,” he said. “The panic was going from A to B, getting out of the car in front of all the cameras and the clicks.” He credited therapy with helping him process the grief. “I learned more about myself in two or three sessions than I had done in 20 years,” he said.
Brothers, Diverging Paths
Harry’s course follows his 2023 memoir “Spare,” in which he wrote that King Charles III did not hug him after telling him Diana had died, instead telling him, “It’s going to be OK.” Harry wrote that this was “fatherly, hopeful, kind. And so very untrue.”
The course also arrived weeks after Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, released his own memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.”
Prince William has taken a markedly different approach. According to The Times, William does not plan to make a film about Diana for the 30th anniversary of her death in 2027, partly to avoid further conflict with Harry, and has declined several offers to appear in or produce documentaries about his mother. People magazine reports Harry, by contrast, is considering several projects for the anniversary, though no documentary has been finalized. Sources told People that Harry has reached out to family members and friends of Diana.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams predicted Harry would keep returning to the subject. “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.”
