The Duke of Sussex said children who have lost their parents can’t “suppress” their pain forever.

Prince Harry said grief ‘eats away at you’ in a heartwrenching videoCredit: ScottysTV/YouTube

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Prince Harry with Diana in 1987. He opened up about facing grief as a childCredit: Anwar Hussein

He joined campaigner Nikki Scott for a conversation about children losing parentsCredit: ScottysTV/YouTube

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Nikki founded Scotty’s Little Soldiers after her husband Corporal Lee Scott was killed in AfghanistanCredit: ScottysTV/YouTube
Harry was just 12 when his mum Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997.

He made the remarks while joining Scotty’s Little Soldiers founder Nikki Scott for a heartfelt conversation about children losing parents.

In the clip, Harry said: “That’s the hardest thing, I think, especially for kids – I don’t want to talk about it, it’s going to make me sad.

“But then realising that if I do talk about it and I’m celebrating their life then actually things become easier.

“You can’t suppress it for too long, it’s not sustainable. It will eat away at you inside.

“You convince yourself that the person you’ve lost wants you to be sad for as long as possible to prove to them that they are missed.

“But then there’s this realisation of, no, they must want me to be happy.”

Brave mum Nikki founded Scotty’s Little Soldiers after her husband Corporal Lee Scott was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

Harry is an ambassador for the charity, which supports children who have lost their parents in the Armed Forces.

He spent the afternoon with 50 bereaved military children and young people at an event organised by the charity in May.

In the clip, Harry told Nikki: “What you have done is incredible. I mean, it is truly inspirational.”

He added: “I’m really honoured and privileged to be part of Scotty’s now.

“And I really look forward to us doing everything we can to bring in more people, more interest, raise more funds.

“To be able to get the message out there to get more kids the support they so desperately need.”

Harry comforted Nikki as she bravely recounted how she found out Lee had been killed while serving in the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.

Nikki said: “As I walked down the road, I saw two cars drive past me – I knew instantly something had happened to Lee.

“As I got to the door, I said ‘Are you looking for me?’ They said ‘Are you Corporal Lee Scott’s wife?’

“I said ‘Yeah I am’ – and my first thought was ‘Oh my God, the kids’.”

You can’t suppress grief for too long, it’s not sustainable. It will eat away at you inside

Prince Harry
Harry asked: “How did you tell the kids?”

Nikki said: “It was the worst. Later that night, I sat my son Kai down on his bed.

“He was five. How do you tell a five-year-old this? I literally just shattered his world.”

Tearing up, she added: “He knew that life was never, ever going to be the same.

“It sounds so corny, but I started to think ‘How many children have had a parent who’s died?'”

Harry said: “There’s nothing corny about that.”

Nikki said: “We almost want to bring that military community back so you haven’t lost it.

“People still care – we can’t fix what’s happened, we can’t bring your parent back, but we can make sure you have the very best support.

“Because that’s what you guys deserve. Your parents served their country.”

The full version of Harry’s chat with Scotty’s Little Soldiers founder Nikki Scott can be found on the charity’s website here.

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Prince Harry pictured last yearCredit: Getty