Princess Diana’s death left a ‘huge hole’ inside me, says Prince Harry in a book for bereaved children

Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997 alongside her partner, Dodi Fayed, and driver, Henri Paul, while being chased by paparazzi on motorcycles.

Britain’s Prince Harry invoked the memories of his mother, Princess Diana, in a foreword to a book meant to support children and young people bereaved by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, according to a CNN report. The book titled ‘Hospital by the Hill’ is a project by Simon Says, a Hampshire child bereavement support charity, which tells the story of a young person coping with the loss of their mother, who had been working in a hospital on the frontline of the global health crisis.

Britain's Princess Diana holds Prince Harry during a morning picture session at Marivent Palace, Spain, August 9, 1988. (Reuters File Photo)

"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," the Duke of Sussex wrote, as per CNN.

Harry lost his mother to a car crash in Paris in 1997 when he was 12 years old. Diana, the Princess of Wales, died in the accident alongside her partner, Dodi Fayed, and driver, Henri Paul, while being chased by paparazzi on motorcycles. Harry reportedly wrote that Diana’s death left “a huge hole inside of me” but that it was eventually filled with “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," he added, reported CNN.

The book, written by Chris Connaughton and illustrated by Fay Troote, is being given to bereaved children and young people as part of the UK’s national day of reflection, a government initiative to mark the anniversary of the country’s first Covid-19 lockdown next week. On the book’s official website, Connaughton noted that writing about death is hard and talking about it can be even harder.

“Whoever you are thinking about, I hope this story helps make some of the hard and horrible stuff a bit easier,” the author added.