My mother Diana is the ‘ideal role model’ says Prince Harry
PRINCE Harry has admitted his mother’s death made him question his royal duties – but proudly described Princess Diana as his “role model”.
Speaking at the inaugural summit of former US President Barack Obama’s foundation in Chicago, he spoke at length about his approach to public life.
Harry, who was only 12 when his mother died in a Paris car crash in 1997, said: “I think what happened to my mum probably put me a step back, thinking how could someone who did so much for the world and did so much for everyone else be treated like that by a certain institution?”
But he told how his mother’s example and his time in the Army training young men from some of the most deprived parts of Britain had moulded his approach to service. He also stressed that his faith in young people’s ability to change the world fuelled his approach to royal duties.
He said: “It takes a bit of getting used to but once you understand the privileged position that you’re in you go to spend the rest of your life giving back and gaining the trust and respect of the general public.”
He glowed with pride discussing why he thought Diana had earned the moniker “The People’s Princess”, by using her name to throw the spotlight on big issues that had never been talked about publicly before.
“I will always look up to her as my ideal role model. Everything she did was having an impact, it was making a difference,” he told the Obama Foundation gathering, adding that she had “rewritten the rule book”.
Harry, 33, said young people gave him “all of my passion and inspiration”, adding: “The younger generation are the best connected, the most passionate I think we’ve ever had.
“So what we need to do is we need to create a platform so they can be heard, because they have the solutions to the some of the world’s biggest problems.”