Prince Harry and Princess Diana.Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty; Georges De Keerle/Getty
Prince Harrylearned the power of helping others from his mother,Princess Diana.
“I certainly hope and believe everything I do makes her proud,” the Duke of Sussex tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story. “In the 12 short years I was lucky enough to have with her, I saw and felt the energy and lift she got from helping others, no matter their background, ailment or status. Her life and theirs was better for it, however short theirs or hers was.”
He adds, “I honor my mother in everything I do. I am my mother’s son.”
Prince Harry and Princess Diana.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
In an interview withToday’sHoda Kotbthat aired Wednesday,Prince Harrysaid hefelt Princess Diana’s presence was “constant,“adding, “It has been over the last two years. More so than ever before.”
For more on PEOPLE’s cover story with Prince Harry, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Harry also said that he tells his kids about “Grandma Diana” and has photos of her around their home in California, where the family relocated in 2020.
Prince Harry, 37, has carried on the work for causes that were important to Diana, who died in 1997 at age 36. In addition to working with organizations to call for an international ban on landmines, evenwalking in the footsteps of Dianain a former warzone in Angola, he has continued toadvocate for HIV awareness.
Prince Harry in 2019 and Princess Diana in 1997.PA Wire/PA Images (2)
In July,Prince Harryteamed up with his brother,Prince William, to unveil a statue honoring their late mother at Kensington Palace on what would have been her 60th birthday.
Prince William and Prince Harry formed a committee that included one of Diana’s sisters, some friends, experts and charity contacts to help come up with a fitting tribute to the late princess. They commissionedIan Rank-Broadley, the sculptor behind the image of their grandmotherQueen Elizabeththat has been used to decorate all British coins since 1998, as the person to create the tribute.
Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Prince William and Prince Harry.Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty
“In the past quarter of a century, they have placed their mother rightat the heart of the royal family,” historian Robert Lacey, author of the bestsellerBattle of Brothers: William & Harry: The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, told PEOPLE.
At the ceremony, the brothersdecided to forego individual speechesand instead issued a joint statement that maintained focus on their mother: “Today, on what would have been our mother’s 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character, qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better,” William and Harry said.
They added, “Every day we wish she were still with us.”
source: people.com
