News feed
Princess Harry has opened up about the emotional rollercoaster of becoming a father to Archie Harrison weeks before what would have been Princess Diana’s 58th birthday.
Speaking at the Diana Award National Youth Mentoring Summit on July 2, his late mum’s birthday just the day before, he told the crowd:
“I’m struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model.
“The person who may be sitting here today that doesn’t realize that someone looks up to them, that – for that person – you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful,” he explained.
Reflecting on how he’s changed since wife Meghan Markle gave birth to the couple’s first child Archie Harrison on May 6, Harry said:
“Perhaps it’s the newfound clarity I have as a father knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behavior, one day maybe even following in my footsteps,” the Duke of Sussex continued.
“But it’s not just my role as a father that shows me that; it’s in the people I see every day that don’t realize how inspirational they are to those watching.”
Invoking Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, when she was 36 and Harry was 12, he said:
“My mother, Princess Diana, was a role model to so many, without realizing the impact she would have on so many lives.
“You don’t have to be a princess or a public figure to be a role model, in fact it’s equally valuable if you’re not because it’s more relatable. Being a role model and mentor can help heal the wounds of your own past and create a better future for someone else.”
“To the mentees here today, I am incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved, and I can safely say that my mother, who would have turned 58 yesterday, would feel the same.”
Last August marked 21 years since Diana’s death. Prince William recounted his final phone call with his mum, revealing he regrettably hurried her off the phone when she called him and Harry from Paris because both boys wanted to get back to playing with their cousins.
“Harry and I were in a desperate rush to say goodbye, you know, ‘see you later’. If I’d known now obviously what was going to happen I wouldn’t have been so blasé about it and everything else. But that phone call sticks in my mind, quite heavily,” William said in a documentary titled Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
“It was her speaking from Paris,” Harry said. “I can’t really necessarily remember what I said, but all I do remember is probably regretting for the rest of my life how short the phone call was.”
