What did the famous member of the British royal family have to face after the death of his mother? How to live the pain of loss and how to console yourself? The Duke of Sussex shared his experiences and thoughts in the introduction to the children’s book.
Prince Harry wrote the foreword to Hospital on the Hill, which tells the story of a young man who lost his mother while working in a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic. The release of the book is timed to coincide with March 23, the National day of reflection (National day of reflection), in which the UK will honor the memory of those who could not defeat the disease. A year ago, on this day, the first nationwide quarantine was announced in the country.
Harry tried to support the children of medical workers with a word: “If you are reading this book, then you have lost a parent or loved one, and although I am sorry that I cannot hug you right now, I hope that this story can comfort you, let you know that you are not alone.”
He spoke about how he felt when he was left without his mother, Princess Diana, at the age of 12: “When I was a little boy, I lost my mother. Then I didn’t want to believe in what happened and accept it, and it left a huge hole inside me. I know how you feel and I want to assure you that over time this hole will be filled with great love and support.”
In 2017, almost 20 years after his mother’s death, the Duke of Sussex spoke of how much this loss had affected him: “I can say with confidence that due to the loss of my mother at the age of 12, I tried to hide from all my emotions for last 20 years. My way of fighting was to put my head in the sand and not think about it.” Only at the age of 28, Prince Harry was able to fully live through the grief and pain of loss, turning to a specialist for help.
This is probably why Harry notes in the preface that children may feel lonely, they may be sad, they may be angry and feel bad, but they will feel better when they can talk to someone about what they are experiencing.
“We all deal with loss in different ways, but when a parent goes to heaven, his spirit, his love and memories of him do not disappear anywhere,” the prince wrote. “They will stay with us forever. I think it’s true.”
Harry did not forget to mention the full power of the feat accomplished by medical workers who saved the sick, sometimes even at the cost of their lives: “Helping others is one of the most important tasks that any of us can perform. I hope this book will remind you how special your parents or loved ones were. And how special are you…”
Chris Connaughton, author of Hospital on the Hill, stressed that while writing about death is difficult, “talking about it can be even more difficult.” Therefore, it is so important not to drown out and deny children’s emotions, not to pretend that nothing happened, not to try to step over what happened and “just live on”.
Prince Harry is not the first representative of monarchical circles to touch the world of literature for children. Who else published books for young readers?
- Rania, Queen of Jordan He is the author of four children’s books. Her latest book, The Sandwich Exchange, is inspired by a story from Rania’s own childhood.
- Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece wrote a guide for children and parents “Manners start with breakfast.”
- Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York – the author of many children’s works: from under her pen came a series of books “Little Redhead”, a series of stories about the adventures of a small helicopter and publications about good manners.
- Swedish Princess Madeleine published an instructive book “Stella and her secret”.
- А Norwegian Princess Martha Louise known from the book Why Kings and Queens Don’t Wear Crowns.