Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey announce mental health series to launch on Apple TV

The Duke of Sussex and the US talk show star are making a television series which will focus on both "mental illness and mental wellness, inspiring viewers to have an honest conversation about the challenges each of us faces".

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A statement released on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s record-breaking Instagram account includes a quote from His Royal Highness, emphasising that it’s “a huge responsibility” to get the project right.

“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," he said.

Prince Harry has been championing mental health issues ever since revealing the impact of his mother Princess Diana’s death on him via the Mad World podcast in 2017, admitting that at times it was “total chaos” and that he had “probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions”.

With Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Harry launched Heads Together, a mental health initiative by the Royal Foundation, and has worked with veterans around the world with the Invictus Games foundation and numerous other charities to ensure the best possible mental health support for military personnel.

Winfrey revealed that the idea for the mental health television series came out of a conversation she had with Prince Harry when she asked him what he thought were the most important issues facing the world. “And he said: ‘There are two: climate change, and mental wellness, mental fitness,’” she told CBS This Morning.

Winfrey told Prince Harry that highlighting mental health awareness was a “big concern” of hers, and so the idea was born.

Prince Harry and Winfrey have been "developing the series for several months” and it will launch on Apple TV in 2020.