Prince Harry writes about coping with loss of his mother in foreword to book for bereaved children: ‘You’re not alone’

Prince Harry is sharing the pain of losing his mother at a young age to tell bereaved children that one day “this feeling will pass.”

The Duke of Sussex, 36, has written the foreword for “Hospital by the Hill,” a book about a child whose mother died on the frontlines of the battle against the deadly coronavirus.

“If you are reading this book, it’s because you’ve lost your parent or a loved one, and while I wish I was able to hug you right now, I hope this story is able to provide you comfort in knowing that you’re not alone,” Harry, the youngest son of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, begins.

“When I was a young boy I lost my mum. At the time I didn’t want to believe it or accept it, and it left a huge hole inside of me. I know how you feel, and I want to assure you that over time that hole will be filled with so much love and support,” he continues.

Harry, who was only 12 when his mother died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, wrote that “when a parent goes to heaven, I was told their spirit, their love and the memories of them do not. They are always with you and you can hold onto them forever. I find this to be true.”

“You may feel alone, you may feel sad, you may feel angry, you may feel bad,” he wrote, but added that “this feeling will pass.”

“And I will make a promise to you — you will feel better and stronger once you are ready to talk about how it makes you feel.”

“Hospital by the Hill,” a project of the U.K. child bereavement support charity Simon Says, will mark the National Day of Reflection on March 23, and will be provided for free for any child or young person who lost a loved one due to COVID-19.

According to author Chris Connaughton, the person in the book “looks like a nurse, but your loved one could be an office worker, a cleaner or a journalist. They might be a waiter, a teacher or anyone else who is special to you.”