He may come across as confident and full of mischief, but Prince Harry admitted Monday that he’s actually like many ordinary people who get nervous just before speaking in public.
The 30-year-old royal made the video confession as a campaign to help reduce the stigma linked to HIV.
“We are turning this World AIDS Day into a day in which no one should feel any shame about their secrets,” he says in the video.
"On today, World AIDS Day, my secret is, believe it or not, I get incredibly nervous before public speaking, no matter how big the crowd or the audience," Harry says, wearing a gray sweatshirt with a red AIDS ribbon pinned to it. "And despite the fact that I laugh and joke all the time, I get incredibly nervous, if not anxious actually, before going into rooms full of people when I'm wearing a suit."
The video is part of the #FeelNoShame Twitter campaign, launched by Sentebale, the charity Harry helped create to benefit children in Lesotho, Africa.
In an earlier video released, the royal noted that HIV is the second-highest cause of death globally among 10- to 19-year-olds, and the overall leading cause of death in Africa.
“One tragic issue in particular is the shame and stigma linked to HIV," he says. "This causes thousands of children to needlessly die each year because they’re keeping their illness a secret and not getting the medical attention that they need."
Harry encouraged others to join the #FeelNoShame campaign to show support for the issue.
As for opening up to the world about his own secret, Harry admits he may have just made his problem worse.
“Now that I've confessed that, I'll probably be even more worried that people are looking at me," he says. "But, thank you very much for everyone who's taken part, and I must encourage as many people to get involved as possible."
