Harry comforts mother as she recalls how she told her son his Army father had been killed
During a tearful conversation Prince Harry has comforted Nikki Scott, the founder of military charity Scotty's Little Soldiers, as she recounted the moment she told her young son his father had been killed in Afghanistan.
This poignant exchange can be seen in a video released by the charity in the lead-up to Armed Forces Day to highlight the ongoing needs of bereaved military children in the UK.
Prince Harry, who is the Global Ambassador of Scotty's Little Soldiers – the charity for bereaved military children and young people – said Mrs Scott had turned her "pain into a purpose".
His emotional conversation with Mrs Scott was filmed when he visited the UK and took part in a Scotty Little Soldiers' event during which he surprised children and young people supported by the charity.
Prince Harry listened intently as she recalled the day in July 2009 when she was told of her husband's death.
Corporal Lee Scott, who served with 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, had been killed during an explosion while taking part in Operation Panther's Claw, just north of Nad-e Ali in Helmand Province.
Mrs Scott shared the agony of breaking the news to their five-year-old son Kai, while also caring for their seven-month-old daughter Brooke.
She said: "It was the worst. How do you tell a five-year-old this?
"I took him up and sat him on the bed and I said 'Kai, do you remember where Daddy was?' and he said, 'Yeah, Afghan', and I said, 'something really bad has happened and the baddies (because he used to play Army) have hurt dad and he's died'."
Overcome with emotion, she described to Prince Harry the pain of "shattering her son's world".
Mrs Scott's personal tragedy inspired her to create Scotty's Little Soldiers after seeing the positive impact a family holiday had on Kai.
She wanted other bereaved military children to have the opportunity to smile again, so she founded the charity in 2010.
In their heartfelt discussion about grief, Prince Harry, whose mother Princess Diana died in 1997 when he was 12 years old, shared his own insights.
He said: "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.
"But then there's this realisation of, no, they must want me to be happy."
Mrs Scott explained how Scotty's Little Soldiers teaches bereaved military children and young people to celebrate their parent's life.
Harry emphasised the importance of not suppressing emotions, particularly for children, saying: "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 realising if I do talk about it and I'm celebrating their life, then actually, things become easier'."
Expressing his admiration for Mrs Scott's work, Prince Harry said: "What you've done is incredible – it is truly inspirational.
"I'm really honoured 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."
When a young person joins Scotty's Little Soldiers, they become a member and are supported until their 25th birthday.
Whether it be one-to-one bereavement support, a respite break with the family, an opportunity to meet others in a similar situation, or access to extra-curricular activities, Scotty's Little Soldiers is always there for its members to ensure they don't feel alone.
The charity wants to support these children and aims to support more than 1,000 young people annually by 2030.
More information about Scotty's Little Soldiers and ways to support the charity's missions can be found by visiting www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk.
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