Prince Harry has spelled out his mission in life – to keep alive the charity work of his late mother, Princess Diana – in a poignant interview to mark his coming of age this past weekend.
In his first major interview, the third-in-line to the throne spoke to Britain’s Sunday Express about the immense sense of pride he felt in his mother’s legacy. “She had more guts than anybody,” he said. “The way she got close to people and went for the sort of charities and organisations that everyone else was scared to go near, such as land mines in the Third World. She got involved in things that nobody had done before – AIDS for example.”
Harry said that he was first inspired to carve a future role for himself battling to help lesser-known causes, as Diana did, when he was 15 or 16. “I want to carry on the things that she didn’t quite finish. I have always wanted to, but I was too young.”
The young royal outlined his plans after making his first solo engagements last Thursday, with visits to charities working with children, including the Great Ormond Street Hospital, a cause particularly close to Diana’s heart. She remained its president until she died in a Paris car crash in 1997 – just weeks before her younger son’s 13th birthday – and raised millions for new wards.
“It was quite difficult at first, being younger and not as experienced as some of the people I was meeting,” he said about the visits. “I have seen my mother doing it so many times and she was so good at it. But the more I do it in the future, the better I hope to become.”
Harry also spoke about the lurid stories and headlines about his mother’s personal life that have been published since her death. Last month’s fifth anniversary was marred by the publication of a tell-all book by one of the Princess’s former bodyguards, Ken Wharfe. “The fifth anniversary of her death was important because she wasn’t remembered in a way I would have liked,” said the Prince, revealing how deeply he had been hurt.
Although last week’s visits in London were Harry’s first solo outings, he is unlikely to carry out any more for a while because of school commitments – the Prince is currently in his final year of A-levels at Eton. His father, the Prince of Wales has given his whole-hearted approval to his plans. “Father … has encouraged me to take an interest in my mother’s work. He rang me after the visits to make sure I was all right and hadn’t taken on too much, but I told him I really enjoyed them.”
As for his reputation as the “Party Prince”, Harry said that, rather than going for a big shindig, he would be spending his birthday in the company of his father and elder brother, Prince William. “My father offered me a party at home, but I turned it down. I don’t actually like being the centre of attention,” he confessed. “So it will be a quiet day at home with my father and my brother – my family.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
