King Charles’ chilling words that stuck in Harry’s mind after mum Diana’s death

Prince Harry revealed the heartbreaking moment he found out his mum, Princess Diana, had died. Aged just 12, Harry was told be his father, King Charles, of the fatal crash that killed the Princess of Wales on August 31, 1997. While he explained he initially thought his mother would be okay, Harry admitted there were telling phrases used by his dad at the time that have stuck in his mind “like darts in a board”.

Writing in his memoir, Spare, Harry told how his dad sat on the edge of his bed and put his hand on his knee to break the tragic news to his youngest son. Harry told how his dad “looked at me in a funny way, a way he’d never looked at me before” when he told him the devastating news of his mother’s death.

While Charles told the Duke of the crash, Harry said he still believed his mother would be okay and patiently waited for his dad to confirm that would be the case. Explaining his thought pattern, Harry wrote: “She’s been taken to hospital, they’ll fix her head, and we’ll go and see her. Today. Tonight at the latest.” However, he soon realised that wasn’t the case and that his mum had passed. Sharing the phrases that followed, Harry said his dad then said: “They tried, darling boy. I’m afraid she didn’t make it.”

It’s these phrases Harry so vividly remembers and explained brought everything to a stop. “None of what I said to him then remains in my memory,” Harry continued. “It’s possible that I didn’t say anything. What I do remember with startling clarity is that I didn’t cry. Not one tear.”

He later revealed the gift he was given shortly after his mother’s death. He revealed his aunt, Sarah Ferguson, gave him a tiny blue box. In it, was a lock of his mother’s hair. Harry said Sarah had explained how she had clipped two locks from Diana’s head while in Paris.