In an emotionally charged interview, Prince Harry candidly discussed the profound grief he experienced following the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana. The Duke of Sussex, who was only 12 years old when Diana passed away, appeared "vulnerable and triggered" as he encouraged children to talk about their emotions during a conversation with Nikki Scott, founder of Scotty's Little Soldiers.
The interview, part of his role as a global ambassador for the charity, saw Harry sharing his own experiences of loss and the long-term impact it had on his mental health. "It's so easy as a kid to think or convince yourself...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," Harry reflected. "But then there's this realization of, no, they must want me to be happy."
Body language expert Judi James, who analyzed Harry's demeanor during the interview, noted that his emotions were evidently triggered by the conversation. "It's clear from Harry's body language that his personal emotions are being triggered during this conversation about a child's grief at losing a parent," she told The Mirror. James described how Harry's gestures, such as sitting back with his arms and legs splayed and performing a steepled hand gesture, indicated his attempt to convey confidence and authority while masking his vulnerability.
The interview was particularly poignant as Nikki Scott shared her own heartbreaking story of telling her young son that his father had been killed in Afghanistan. Judi James observed, "Asking 'how did you tell your kids?' he stammers, rubbing his own leg. His brows rise and he closes his eyes and shakes his head as though fighting tears and his left hand balls into a fist."
Harry's candid discussion also touched on the importance of opening up about grief rather than suppressing it. He admitted that while avoiding the topic might seem like a coping mechanism, it is not sustainable in the long run. "You can't suppress it forever. It's not sustainable. And it will eat away at you inside," he emphasized.
The interview, recorded in May during Harry's last visit to the UK, was released by Scotty's Little Soldiers in the lead-up to Armed Forces Day to highlight the ongoing needs of bereaved military children. The charity, founded by Scott after the death of her husband in Afghanistan, supports over 680 children who have lost parents in the British Armed Forces.
Expressing his admiration for Scott's work, 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."
James further analyzed Harry's body language, noting his attempts at self-comfort and the visible signs of his emotional struggle, according to the Daily Mail. "We can see signs of triggering quite quickly as his left hand performs a self-comfort fiddling ritual before balling into a fist," she explained. "His leg-rubbing is an auto-contact gesture that seems to be aimed at self-soothing. He starts to chew at his lower lip to suggest tears might be building and at one point he raises his brows while closing his eyes in a cut-off to hide his feelings."
Despite these visible signs of vulnerability, Harry's message remained clear and empowering. He urged children to talk about their grief as a way of celebrating the lives of those they have lost, rather than bottling up their emotions. "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, I'm celebrating their life, then actually, things become easier," he said.
In recent years, Harry has been vocal about the lack of support he received following his mother's death, which led him to suppress his emotions and eventually seek therapy. His ongoing efforts to advocate for mental health awareness and support for bereaved children continue to be a significant part of his public life and philanthropic work.
