Losing a parent is never easy, that is something I can personally attest to. Your world is turned upside down, and you have to figure out how to go on living without your beloved parent by your side for support, guidance and love.
This is something Prince Harry completely understands after losing his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 when he was only 12-years-old. So, when a 15-year-old boy, Lestyn Jones told the Prince how he was struggling after losing his father, Harry had the room cleared at Empire Fighting Chance so he could spend time speaking privately to the boy – not as a royal, but simply as another child who lost a parent so young.
The young boy revealed he was struggling with grief after his father’s passing to which Harry told him, “The same thing happened to me.”
Lestyn later remarked, “It just got a bit emotional because he mentioned something. He knew some stuff about me and the same thing happened to me. We had a chat for about ten minutes. When we had a group picture at the end he made sure I was standing next to him. They were lovely people. I didn’t expect them to be like that. They were amazing people.”
And that’s when he had everyone leave the room to give the 15-year-old some advice and support without the glare of the media. His Royal Highness gave Lestyn advice on coping with grief.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are expecting their first child in April, spent yesterday in cold and snowy Bristol for a day of engagements. Besides Empire Fighting Chance (which helps the youth with boxing classes), Their Royal Highnesses paid visits to One25, Bristol Old Vic theatre, and met children from Abbeywood pre-school.
The Duke also revealed that he relieves stress by boxing.
Both Prince William and Prince Harry have been sympathetic to children who lose their parents at a young age, but none more so than Harry – who has publicly admitted of his past mental struggles after Diana’s death in Paris car crash.