Talking about mother's death changed my life, Harry tells bereaved military children
The Duke of Sussex has been speaking to bereaved military children and young people at an event hosted by military charity Scotty's Little Soldiers - and shared his own memories of losing his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
He told them how he initially tried to deal with his grief and how switching his attitude helped him immensely, saying: "I didn't speak about losing my mum for well over 10 years.
"I thought, what is the point in talking about something that you can't change? I was wrong, talking about it changed my life."
Prince Harry is a Global Ambassador of Scotty's Little Soldiers, a charity that supports children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the Armed Forces.
Harry, who served in the British Army for 10 years, attended the event in London that brought together 50 children and young people aged six to 22, who had experienced the death of a military parent.
Prince Harry, who is a long-standing supporter of Scotty's Little Soldiers, spent time chatting to them as well as joining them for active games such as Edible Races, Flipper Challenge and Bucket Head.
He also spent time with the children's surviving parents.
The event provided a safe space for the young people to connect with one another, build friendships and create lasting memories.
Reflecting on the event, Prince Harry said: "It was an honour to meet so many of the wonderful families Scotty's Little Soldiers supports.
"I have long believed in the mission of this charity and I truly believe the work they do to foster community and create space for young people to connect, grieve, but also have fun together is life-changing.
"I am a huge supporter of their work, and very proud to be their first Global Ambassador."
Following the lively session, Prince Harry spent time with nine members from Scotty's Council.
This dedicated group of young people, who represent the charity's other members and provide a voice for bereaved military children and young people, discussed their experiences of growing up without a parent and the invaluable support they receive from Scotty's Little Soldiers.
Molly Reynolds, 20, has been a member of Scotty's Little Soldiers since 2018 following the death of her father Sergeant Antony Reynolds, who served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
She was 14 when he died by suicide.
After chatting to Harry, Ms Reynolds said: "My favourite part of the day was definitely getting to sit in a circle with Prince Harry and some of the other Members Council and have a chat with him about losing a parent.
"It was very nice because it felt very personal and like he understood what we were going through."
Scotty's Little Soldiers currently supports more than 670 bereaved military children and young people up to the age of 25.
Services offered include access to one-to-one child bereavement support, guidance to parents and carers, personal education and learning assistance (including grants), development opportunities and fun activities such as holiday respite breaks and group events.
These are all designed to remind the children and young people supported by Scotty's Little Soldiers that they are not alone.
The charity has a long-term goal of supporting more than 1,000 bereaved military children and young people annually by 2030.
Join Our Newsletter
