Prince Harry Opens Up About Grief And Bereavement

Prince Harry discussed sorrow and grief with the founder of a charity that helps children who have lost a parent while serving in the British military forces.

“You convince yourself that the person you’ve lost wants you, or you need to be sad for as long as possible to prove to them that they are missed,” said the Duke of Sussex, who lost his mother, Princess Diana, when he was 12 years old.

Prince Harry | CNN Image

Prince Harry Opens Up About Grief And Bereavement

“But then there’s this realization of, no, they must want me to be happy,” he told Nikki Scott, founder of Scotty’s Little Soldiers, in a charity video posted Thursday.

Diana died in a vehicle incident in Paris on August 31, 1997. She was 36 years old.

Harry emphasized the necessity of discussing feelings during the grieving process.

“That’s the hardest thing, especially for kids, I think, which is, ‘I don’t want to talk about it because it will make me sad, but once realizing that if I do talk about it, and I’m celebrating their life, then actually, things become easier,'” according to him.

Harry, a global ambassador for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, spoke with Scott ahead of Armed Forces Day on June 29.

Scott told the Duke about the moment she had to inform her son, Kai, that his father, Cpl. Lee Scott had been murdered in Afghanistan.

It was the worst. “How do you tell a 5-year-old this?” she asked, recalling the emotion of having “shattered his world” in July 2009.

Scotty’s Little Soldiers estimates that 2,100 children lose a parent who served in the UK military each year.

The nonprofit now serves over 680 members and hopes to serve over 1,000 persons annually by 2030.

Prince Harry | CNN Image

Prince Harry Opens Up About Grief And Bereavement

Harry complimented Scott for her “incredible” efforts in establishing the foundation.

“It’s incredibly inspirational. I’m incredibly honored and privileged to be a part of Scotty’s now, and I’m looking forward to doing everything we can to bring in more people, generate more interest, collect more cash, and get the message out there to get more kids the help they so urgently need,” he said in a news statement.

A video of their entire talk can be viewed on the charity’s website.

SOURCE – CNN