Prince Harry has revealed that his charity work is inspired by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales’s teachings and that he “can’t wait for the day” when he has children of his own.
The Prince, who begins a four-day tour of Nepal on Sunday, was speaking to Good Morning America‘s co-host Robin Roberts, as he also continues his efforts to promote the upcoming Invictus Games, being held in Florida in May. In the wide-ranging and heartfelt interview, Harry said he wanted to make his mother proud and that he hoped her “talents are shown in the work [I] do”.
Harry said that he and his brother, Prince William, are determined to continue Diana’s legacy by raising awareness of worthy causes, many of which were close to her heart when she was alive such as young people’s wellbeing and mental health.
“We will do everything we can to make sure that she’s never forgotten and carry on all the special gifts, as such, that she had and that she portrayed while she was alive,” he said. “I hope that a lot of my mother’s talents are shown in a lot of the work that I do.”
“I hope she’s looking down, you know, with tears in her eyes, being incredibly proud of what we’ve established, I suppose,” he said.
Although notably protective of their private lives, both Harry and William have been more vocal on memories of their mother in recent years. Whilst on a visit to South Africa last year, Harry spoke movingly of the ‘gaping hole’ his mother’s death had left in his life. Both Princes also support The Diana Award, which aims to inspire young people to contribute to their communities.
Harry spoke of his frustration of having to choose between his royal and Army life
In this latest interview, Prince Harry also spoke of his frustration his royal status had on his time spent serving in the British Army. “I suppose, inevitably, [I was] going to have to get to the stage where I was always going to be Prince Harry,” he told Roberts, adding that he “always wanted to be Capt. Wales, treated the same and the same uniform as everybody else.”
The young royal left the Forces after 10 years of operational service last year and has now turned his efforts into helping rehabilitate wounded soldiers through sport. “When you look past the amputees, when you look past the burns, they’re still the same people, and to be able to call them all my comrades, friends, we all share something,” he said.
Having worked hard to become an Apache Helicopter Commander, and served two tours of Afghanistan himself, Harry added: “We share that uniform. We share the training. We share, in some cases, Afghanistan. It’s very special.”
With age, the 31-year-old Prince has finally come to terms with his two lives; public and private. During the interview, questions turned to his own future and, asked whether he wanted to become a father in future, he said: “I can’t wait for the day. So, you know, it will be fantastic. I’ve got a kid inside of me. I want to keep that. I adore kids. I enjoy everything that they bring to the party. They just say what they think.”
The Prince said he “can’t wait for the day” he becomes a father
He joked with Roberts that he’d been complimented on his hugging and that he often preferred giving hugs to handshakes – although only to those he knew well!
Harry, who is already an uncle to two-year-old Prince George and 10-month-old Princess Charlotte, has often been commended for his easy-going manner when dealing with children. The Prince has seen first-hand some of the challenges children in Lesotho face as a result of the country’s HIV epidemic, and photographs of him with children show a Prince at ease, often smiling and laughing.
“I think losing your mother at such a young age does end up shaping your life massively. Of course, it does, and now I find myself trying to be there and give advice to other people who are in similar positions,” Harry said. “I’m sure she’s longing for me to have kids so she can be a grandmother again.”
The Prince has always been at ease when dealing with children
The Prince, who was interviewed in Diana’s former sitting room at Kensington Palace, spoke openly about some of his earliest memories with his mother including a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida.
“It’s one of my very, very happy memories, of going to Disney World with my mum,” he said. “I went on Space Mountain 14 times. I was like, ‘This is absolutely fantastic. This is the best thing ever.”
He added that he would be reminded of her again when he returns to Walt Disney World in May for the Invictus Games and said he relishes the opportunity to be a “fun uncle” to Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
“You’ve got to have fun in life,” said Harry. “Otherwise, wow, imagine life without fun.”
The Prince also took time to pay tribute to his grandmother, The Queen, who turns 90 in June and how she has helped transform him as a character. “Because of my time in the service, [I have] the utmost of respect, not just for her as a grandmother,” Prince Harry said. “She was my boss for 10 years and I viewed her very much like that.”
“Now it’s really nice because I can go to her for advice and bend her ear with all the experiences she’s had over the years,” he said.
Harry spoke of how he shared something “very special” with his fellow service personnel
Prince Harry will begin his four-day tour of Nepal on Sunday 20 March, beginning in Kathmandu where he’ll meet those affected by the Nepal earthquakes of April and May 2015. He’ll then travel to Orlando in May to cheer on athletes at the second Invictus Games.
The Prince announced on Wednesday that the third set of Games are to be held in Toronto, Canada in 2017.
The second Invictus Games will take place May 8 – 12 2016 and tickets are available at Invictusgames2016.org.
The full interview with Prince Harry is available on the ABC News website.
