The entire world suffered a tremendous loss when Princess Diana of Wales died in a car accident in Paris in 1997. But the loss may have been hardest on her two young sons William and Harry. Prince William was just 15 years old when he lost his mother, while Prince Harry was only 12. Nearly two decades later, the royal brothers find their lives deeply affected by that early loss.
"When she died, there was a gaping hole," Harry explains to People in an emotional new interview. "[N]ot just for us but also for a huge amount of people across the world." Today, the 31-year-old finds purpose by striving to live up to his mother's generosity. "If I can try and fill a very small part of that [void], then job done. I will have to, in a good way, spend the rest of my life trying to fill that void as much as possible. And so will William."
Harry is currently in Florida for the Invictus Games, an Olympics-like competition for wounded veterans. On Wednesday, he played in a charity polo match. "All I want to do is make my mother incredibly proud," the royal adds. "That's all I've ever wanted to do."