PRINCE Harry has revealed how his new mental health TV series with Oprah Winfrey could "save lives" as it encourages viewers to "open up".

The Duke of Sussex has been working on the documentary series with Oprah for several months, with the show set to air next year on Apple's new streaming service.

Harry, 35, told the Daily Telegraph that after opening up in a podcast in 2017 about the loss of his mother Diana, he realised sharing his story could help others.

"When I did your podcast two years ago the response made me realise what an impact sharing my story could have, and what an impact other stories can have for so many who are suffering silently," he explained.

"If the viewers can relate to the pain and perhaps the experience, then it could save lives, as we will focus on prevention and positive outcomes.

"What I have learnt and I continue to learn in the space of mental health, mental illness and self-awareness is that all roads lead back to our mental wellbeing, how we look after ourselves and each other."

The TV series will focus on mental illness and wellness and aims to encourage viewers to open up on their own mental health struggles.

Speaking to CBS about the project earlier this year, Oprah explained: "I asked [Prince Harry] the question, 'What do you think are the most important issues facing the world right now?' and he said there are two.

"He said climate change and mental wellness, mental fitness and mental health. As you know, he's spoken about his own issues and what he went through after his mother 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'm going to be doing this thing with Apple. It's a big concern of mine too and I want to try to erase the stigma,' and he said at the end of the conversation, 'If there's anything I can do to help'."

Two years ago, Harry revealed he "shut down all his emotions" for 20 years after his mum, Princess Diana, passed away.

Harry said he finally faced his pain at 28 when he was “on the verge of punching someone”.

Giving an account of conquering his demons, Harry told Bryony Gordon: “I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well.

“… I know there’s huge merit in talking about your issues.

“Keeping it quiet will only ever make it worse, not just for you but everyone else around you, because you become a problem.

“And I, through a lot of my 20s, was a problem, and I didn’t know how to deal with it.

“Once you start talking about it to your mates, two months later those mates were coming back to me and starting to slowly unravel their own issues, because they knew that I could relate to it.”

“… What we’re trying to do is normalise the conversation, to the point where anyone can sit down and have a coffee and just say, ‘You know what, I’ve had a really s*** day, can I just tell you about it?’

“Then you walk away and it’s done, rather than a week later, or 20 years later, what could have been something small can grow into this beast of a snowball that you can’t dislodge.”

In other royal news, we told you how Kate Middleton ‘isn’t the most interesting’ mum at Princess Charlotte and Prince George’s school.

We also revealed Meghan Markle fans are disappointed as Palace quash rumours she’s bringing back her personal blog The Tig

And we showed you unseen Meghan Markle photos show hands-on Duchess high fiving models and joking around on Smart Works shoot.

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