(CNN) Just as Princess Diana broke down the stuffiest of royal traditions and conventions, her younger son -- and his new fiancée -- are modernizing the royal family all over again. Prince Harry's engagement to actress Meghan Markle is not the first to join a senior member of the British royal family with an American, nor with an American who has been married once before. Harry and Meghan began dating 18 months ago, and so it is surely no coincidence that the prince's transformation from someone who partied hard into a taboo-breaking royal role model has happened over a similar period of time. The significance of this moment cannot be overstated: for the many people who suffer from anxiety, depression and other mental health issues, one of the toughest challenges can often be talking about it openly. For a member of the royal family, whose members guard their private lives as closely as their crown jewels, such openness was extraordinary.

Source: CNN November 27, 2017 15:27 UTC