October 31, 2023
Prince Harry revealed in his highly publicised memoir Spare how hit US comedy sitcom Friends helped him cope with “terrifying panic attacks.”
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, also penned in his autobiography that he related to the character of Chandler Bing, played by Matthew Perry, who breathed his last on October 28.
Harry wrote that he was going through “rough patch,” and was experiencing “debilitating bouts of lethargy” and “terrifying panic attacks” and couldn’t even carry out his royal duties in 2013.
Desperate for answers, Harry admitted to turning to the internet for self-diagnosis, entering his symptoms into Google in hopes of identifying the source of his distress.
In retrospect, he believes he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition he had witnessed among fellow soldiers during his military service.
The Duke penned that his panic attacks became so severe that he “had no choice” but to stay at home. He said he would “sit back, order food, and watch [TV show] 24... or Friends.”
Harry noted that “it's possible he watched every episode” of Friends which ran for 10 seasons and finally decided he was “a Chandler.”
King Charles’ second born also confessed of having a crush on Courteney Cox, who played the role of Monica Geller in the show, a character which eventually marries Chandler Bing.
Harry revealed he ended up crashing at Cox’s house in 2016, writing, “I found the idea of crashing at Monica's highly appealing and amusing.”
“I was still confused because… she was Monica. And I was a Chandler,” he added. “I wondered if I'd ever work up the courage to tell her. Was there enough tequila in California to get me that brave?”