Prince Harry has penned an emotional message of hope to children who have lost their parents.
The message appears as a foreword from the prince in the new book, Hospital by the Hill, which tells the story of a child who lost his mom to Covid-19 as she worked on the frontlines amid the pandemic.
Prince Harry was just 12 years old at the time he lost his mother, Princess Diana, following a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
The crash also killed her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the car's driver, Henri Paul. Paul reportedly lost control of the vehicle at the entrance to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel as the group attempted to flee the pursuing paparazzi.
In the book's foreword, the Duke of Sussex writes: "When I was a young boy I lost my mom. At the time I didn't want to believe it or accept it, and it left a huge hole inside of me."
He continues: "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.
"We all cope with loss in a different way, but 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."
Harry concludes with a message of hope, writing:
"They are always with you and you can hold onto them forever."
Hospital by the Hill has been made available for free to children in the United Kingdom.
The book's author, Chris Connaughton, created the story with the help of child bereavement specialists, and he states on the book's website that "writing about death is hard", but that "talking about it can be even harder."
"It's always hard and horrible to deal with the death of someone you love, to lose someone who loved you," Connaughton adds. "Whoever you are thinking about, I hope this story helps make some of the hard and horrible stuff a bit easier."
Speaking to Harpers Bazaar, Connaughton said that it was a "tremendous honor" to have the prince "share his open, heartfelt and honest words with kids across the country."
