Story highlights Prince Harry said for years he pushed the pain away before realizing he needed help

He was speaking to raise awareness about mental health

(CNN) Britain's Prince Harry has revealed that he sought counseling four years ago to deal with the grief of losing his mother, Princess Diana.

In a candid interview with British newspaper The Telegraph, the fifth in line to the throne said the loss of his mother at such a young age had led to a period of "total chaos."

"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 also my work as well," he told The Telegraph in a podcast interview published Sunday.

Prince Harry said he sought professional help at the age of 28 after enduring "two years of total chaos. I didn't know what was wrong with me."

"My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand. Refusing to ever think about my mum because why would that help? It's only going to make you sad. It's not going to bring her back," he said.

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