Prince Harry has opened up about the profound pain of losing his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, in a heartfelt video aimed at encouraging children and young people to express their emotions. The Duke of Sussex, who serves as a global ambassador for Scotty’s Little Soldiers—a charity supporting children who have lost parents in the military—shared his personal journey of grief and the importance of talking about it.
In the video, Harry, who was just 12 years old when his mother tragically died in a car accident in 1997, reflects on the misconceptions he had about grief as a child. “It’s so easy as a kid to think or convince yourself that the person you’ve lost wants you to be sad for as long as possible to prove to them that they are missed,” he said. “But then there’s this realization that, no, they must want me to be happy.”
Harry, now 39, has been vocal in recent years about the lack of family support he felt after his mother’s death, which led him to bottle up his emotions. He eventually sought therapy to cope with his grief. “That’s the hardest thing, especially for kids,” he explained. “I don’t want to talk about it because it will make me sad, but once realizing that if I do talk about it, I’m celebrating their life, then actually, things become easier.”
The video, recorded in May during Harry’s last visit to the UK, features a conversation with Nikki Scott, the founder of Scotty’s Little Soldiers. Scott recounted the harrowing moment she had to tell her five-year-old son, Kai, that his father, Corporal Lee Scott, who served with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, had been killed in Afghanistan in 2009. She also had a seven-month-old daughter, Brooke, at the time. This personal tragedy inspired her to create Scotty’s Little Soldiers after seeing the positive impact a family holiday had on her son.
The charity released the video ahead of Armed Forces Day to highlight the ongoing needs of bereaved military children in the UK. Expressing his admiration for Scott’s work, Prince Harry remarked, “What you’ve done is incredible. It is truly inspirational. I’m really honored and privileged to be part of Scotty’s now, and I really look forward to us doing everything we can to bring in more people, more interest, raise more funds, and be able to get the message out there to get more kids the support they so desperately need.”
Scotty’s Little Soldiers currently supports over 680 members and estimates that each year, 2,100 children are newly bereaved of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. The charity aims to help 1,000 young people each year, providing them with the support they need to cope with their loss.
In the emotionally charged video, Harry emphasizes the importance of talking about grief, even when it feels like the hardest thing to do. “No one wants to be in the position where they are forced to talk about the very thing they don’t want to talk about, especially when every defense mechanism in your mind, nervous system, and everything else is saying ‘do not go there,'” he said.
He also highlighted the unsustainable nature of suppressing grief. “If you suppress this for too long, you cannot suppress it forever. It is not sustainable, and it will eat away at you inside,” he warned. Harry’s message is clear: talking about grief is not only a way to cope but also a way to celebrate the lives of those who have passed.
The conversation between Harry and Scott ends on a poignant note, with Scott expressing her gratitude for Harry’s involvement in the charity. “I feel the need to give you a hug,” she said, to which Harry replied, “Let’s do it.” This simple gesture underscores the importance of human connection and support in the face of loss.
Prince Harry’s involvement with Scotty’s Little Soldiers and his willingness to share his own experiences of grief serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of emotional openness and support for bereaved children. His message is one of hope and resilience, encouraging young people to find strength in their memories and to seek help when they need it.
As Armed Forces Day approaches, the video serves as a timely reminder of the sacrifices made by military families and the ongoing need to support those who have lost loved ones. Through his work with Scotty’s Little Soldiers, Prince Harry continues to honor his mother’s legacy by advocating for the well-being of children facing the same kind of loss he experienced.
Source: BBC News, Scotty’s Little Soldiers
