Prince Harry was only an adolescent when his mother, Princess Diana passed away in 1997. The 31-year-old British royal spoke candidly of the impact the death of his mother has had on his life in an exclusive interview with People.
“When she died, there was a gaping hole, not just for us but also for a huge amount of people across the world,” he said. “If I can try and fill a very small part of that, then job done. I will have to, in a good way, spend the rest of my life trying to fill that void as much as possible. And so will William.”
The younger brother of Prince William, Harry has lived a relatively normal life, joining the military and serving two tours in Afghanistan—which made him feel powerless at times.
“You turn up and you think you’re invincible in a super-duper aircraft, but you’re helpless,” he said. “Then I come back and I say, ‘How can I use my name and that spotlight to the best effect?’ ” Creating the Invictus Games, he noted, was “almost like a cure for that pain I had back then.”
The Invictus Games is an international sporting event for the wounded and current members of the military. Its hope is to “inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for wounded, injured, and sick Servicemen and women.” This year’s event will take place in Orlando, Fla. from May 8-12, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
