Prince Harry wrote the foreword to a kids’ book about losing a parent to Covid

Prince Harry during the start of the new partnership between Booking.com, Ctrip, TripAdvisor and Visa

Prince Harry has written the foreword to a children’s book called Hospital by the Hill by Chris Connaughton. The book is for kids who have lost a parent during the pandemic, and it’s the story of a “young person coming to terms with the loss of their mother who was a frontline worker at a hospital.” The book will be released for Britain’s National Day of Reflection, which is March 23rd and it will be “free of charge to any child or young person in the country who has been affected by the loss of loved ones to COVID-19.” I mean…best to just make it free of charge to every kid so you don’t get children sobbing in bookstores and having to tell a book store employee that they lost a parent to Covid? You can read more about the project of creating the book here. And here’s Harry’s foreword:

If you are reading this book, it’s because you’ve lost your parent or a loved one, and while I wish I was able to hug you right now, I hope this story is able to provide you comfort in knowing that you’re not alone.

When I was a young boy I lost my mum. At the time I didn’t want to believe it or accept it, and it left a huge hole inside of me. I know how you feel, and I want to assure you that over time that hole will be filled with so much love and support. We all cope with loss in a different way, but when a parent goes to heaven, I was told their spirit, their love and the memories of them do not. They are always with you and you can hold onto them forever. I find this to be true.

Now, I never met them, but I know this person was special to you, and they were someone incredibly kind, caring and loving because of where they chose to work. Helping others is one of the most important jobs anyone can ever do.

You may feel alone, you may feel sad, you may feel angry, you may feel bad. This feeling will pass. And I will make a promise to you – you will feel better and stronger once you are ready to talk about how it makes you feel.

I hope this book helps remind you of just how special your parent or loved one was. And how special you are too.

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

There were some tweets going around recently, with some personal stories from people in or around some of the mental health, bereavement and grief charities which are associated with Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The stories were basically like: Harry is the only one who actually gave a sh-t whenever he visited. He was the one connecting with people and emotionally present. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, because that’s how Diana was too. There was a rawness to her emotional availability and vulnerability. That’s why she had such a high level of emotional intelligence, just like Harry. Anyway, what a nice project for Harry to be involved with.

20th Anniversary of Princess Diana's Death

VJ Day Celebrations

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

94 Responses to “Prince Harry wrote the foreword to a kids’ book about losing a parent to Covid”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Rapunzel says:

    Next project for Harry: a forward to a book about losing your parent/family to racism.

    Klansman in the Palace.

  2. Cecilia says:

    This man embodies his mothers whole spirit.

  3. Alexandria says:

    Smart, compassionate, brave and attractive (at least to me). So happy he got his family out.

    • osito says:

      I used to not think he was particularly attractive, but I think (for me) he’s a case study in personality making someone *very* attractive. I think as he’s matured and developed a philanthropic mindset, I see the charm, and wit, and handsomeness that others were talking about some 15 years ago but that I missed with all the weird scandals.

      • Becks1 says:

        He’s definitely someone who isn’t just aging well in general, but whose personality makes them so much more attractive.

      • Ginger says:

        I have always thought Harry was really attractive and his personality adds to it for sure. I have heard from people that have met him that he is pretty stunning in person. Pictures don’t do him justice.

    • booboocita says:

      I’ve always admired him, but I never thought of him as attractive until I saw him do the military obstacle course on James Corden, particularly the rope clime. Fit AF …

      • languidsegmentsgreen says:

        he really is ruggedly handsome in person, friendly, and kind (and quite tall). (he lived in my canadian neighbourhood early last year.)

        on a funny note, a colleague/neighbour saw meghan walking archie in a stroller and said she was so beautiful in person he nearly fell off his bike, lol.

        no one had a single bad thing to say about them, and people here were very protective of their privacy. (the international press not so much!)

      • Abby says:

        LOL SAME. He is tall, fit, kind, doesn’t take himself too serious and is an attentive husband–all things I find incredibly attractive (From a distance of course. I felt the same way about Channing Tatum while he was married).

        However, his personality has made him exponentially more attractive as he’s grown older. I never thought he was handsome growing up, because he’s a year younger than me and I always thought William was the better looking one. OHHHH how the times have changed.

  4. OzJennifer says:

    He’s so sincere and compassionate. Well done Harry.

  5. Wiglet Watcher says:

    He wrote it like he was talking straight to the child. I love that style vs. edited to read more professional or tailored to an adult.

    Yeah… people and charities are kicking back over losing Harry. He can’t just be removed and everyone is going to be fine with just the remaining Windsors.

    Anyone else think the palace knew this was coming and that’s why the letters to “granny Diana” came out?

    • Kalana says:

      Fake letters that are about William and uses the goodwill that’s there for his children. Who is using the memory of Diana again?

    • Pétulia says:

      I don’t think the palace is on the loop on anything related to the Sussexes.
      Those charities don’t need the permission of the palace to ask prince Harry to do this.

      • Wiglet Watcher says:

        They are in a big enough loop that just before certain things are released they get a tip off however vague. There’s been a pattern.

      • Couch potato says:

        The fact that they asked Harry, instead of the FFK who also lost his mother, speaks volumes of who the charities preferes. Bet Will is incandescent with rage again. His younger brother is not only contributing to something who’s actually helpfull, it’s done in Britain!

      • AnonyCat says:

        Something interesting that I read is that one of the charities involved in the book has WILLIAM as a PATRON.

        So they felt more comfortable having Harry write the forward than William. That says a lot about William.

        I think William has thick walls and he wouldn’t be able to make a forward that pulls at your heart strings like this.

      • Lorelei says:

        @Anonycat I already loved this story, but if it’s true that William is their patron…I cannot even imagine the fury he unleashed. Especially since it’s so well-written and seems incredibly sincere.

    • susan says:

      William makes it all about him and his kids. Harry makes it about all the kids. Really lovely, and a hugely polite but well deserved poke in the ribs to the rest of the RF.

  6. Nev says:

    Go on Duke!

  7. Iris says:

    The similarities between him and Diana are striking- both incredibly compassionate, empathetic, able to connect with people on a deep level while also being emotional, hot-headed, and impetuous.

    • LainieR says:

      A round of applause for the backhanded complement of the day. Yikes, those last two adjectives are more loaded than my baked potato at a buffet. Jason is that you?

      • Lilly (with the double-L) says:

        Lol. Exactly @LainieR

      • Emily_C says:

        Nothing wrong with hot-headed and impetuous when your heart’s in the right place. A lot better than having ice water in your veins.

    • Emma33 says:

      Harry isn’t a perfect person. I admire him and what he stands for, but I also think he is probably fairly hot-headed and impetuous. In Finding Freedom, that was one of Scobie’s points as well. I could tell Omid liked the Sussexes and was mostly complementary to them, but I’m fairly sure there were also comments about Harry’s hotheadedness throughout the book.

  8. Zen says:

    Is there a word missing in Harry’s second paragraph? “…when a parent goes to heaven , I was told their spirit, their love”. That sentence doesn’t make sense. Their spirt, their love what?

    • Moxylady says:

      Yeah we don’t have the full forward. I noticed that too.

      • TeamAwesome says:

        “We all cope with loss in a different way, but when a parent goes to heaven, I was told their spirit, their love and the memories of them do not. They are always with you and you can hold onto them forever. I find this to be true.”

      • Lady D says:

        Can I ask where you found this? It’s not in the reprinted article above.

    • equality says:

      “We all cope with loss in a different way, but when a parent goes to heaven, I was told their spirit, their love and the memories of them do not. They are always with you and you can hold onto them forever. I find this to be true.”

  9. Snuffles says:

    Countdown to William showing up at a bereavement charity and forcing his hugs on petrified children. Bonus points if they’re black.

  10. Ginger says:

    This was such a moving forward. Harry is so much like his mom. I know when Harry meets young kids that recently lost a parent he takes them aside and speaks with them. He really
    cares. For all that this man went through growing up , he turned out pretty amazing. Proud of him.

    • Chelsea says:

      Yeah i remember on the oceania tour he pulled aside a little boy wbo was like 5 and was there with his grandma after his mom had died by suicide and Harry, who had just found ojt he was going to be a dad, told the little boy that he knew he was hurting but that some day he’d be ok because Harry had felt that gaping loss but now was happy building a family of his own and made sure to thank the granny for what she was doing for that little boy. On the same tour he pulled aside a widow in Australia when they were putting up the Invictus flag and hugged her and just spoke to her for minutes putting him a bit behind schedule but that’s just who he is.

      I know Harry made some terrible mistakes when he was younger but I’m always so amazed at how he’s grown into someone who triee so hard to use his own pain to comfort other people; many of them complete strangers. It makes the way his family has treated him even more horrific and honestly stupid. They had a gem and they threw it away. They had someone who was always willing to publicly defend them and threw him under the bus and tried to destroy his happiness with his new little family even though they knew how badly he wanted to br a father. Disgusting people.

  11. Merricat says:

    And here is the most significant difference between the brothers: Harry took his loss and turned it into compassion; William turned his into justification for every selfish impulse.

    • C-Shell says:

      This exactly. Willy is the perpetual victim notwithstanding his privileged glide path. Don’t get me wrong, I think both of Diana’s boys were victimized by her trauma and death, but the difference in the way they’ve turned that into their very divergent trajectories is a case study. My admiration for Harry grows by the day in inverse proportion to my disgust for The Other Brother.

  12. Over it says:

    His children are the luckiest kids to have him for a dad. Harry is that angel on earth. Love him.

  13. Hollah says:

    Well done to Harry. I really hope The Firm didn’t have a heads up this was coming because I love when they get out-PR’d and caught off guard.

    I’m guessing the Cambridges are working the phones to see if they too can write a forward in a book.

    • Wiglet Watcher says:

      They have and no one cared.

      • Lyds says:

        William even has a cookbook out…and no one cared. Because who cares about a cookbook from a man who’s been served hand on foot his whole life with a silver spoon?

        Now if he was releasing a gardening book…

      • RoyalBlue says:

        The care and keeping of Rose bushes.

    • cassandra says:

      It’s amazing how much better the Sussex’s PR is. It’s also obvious that they have a long-term game plan as opposed to the Windsors. Really their only misstep was Harry leaving those flowers on the grave in California….which wasn’t even that bad.

      • Persephone says:

        I think the misstep was not leaving flowers at the grave, but being photographed doing it and giving out those photos.

      • Rapunzel says:

        Are you talking about the Remembrance day photos? That was not a misstep at all. They denied him a chance to honor Vets in England, so he deliberately shared that he was honoring them anyway. He had to do this as it was important to let him show Veterans his support. Nothing wrong at all with it.

        It also cleverly brought attention to the family’s wreath snub which was great PR for Harry, imo.

      • Chica says:

        Persephone, they left A flower wreath

      • Lady D says:

        To some it may be a photo-op, but it mattered to the people he served with.

      • cassandra says:

        @Persephone

        Yes- the PR handling of it. The intent was good, but it came across as heavy handed and ‘obvious’. Their press game is usually better, that’s all

      • Rapunzel says:

        Cassandra- It was obvious because Harry wanted it to be obvious that he supports Veterans. GTFOH with this “press game” nonsense. It’s not a press game to Harry. He wants his Veteran peeps to know he has their back. There absolutely nothing wrong with that. And it’s not weak PR. It’s who Harry is.

      • Saucy&Sassy says:

        Cassandra, I assume you’re British? I seem to recall that the BM went out of its way to pillory Harry for having the audacity to have a photographer there. It was well received in the US, if you disregard a small group of MAGAs who jumped on the BM bandwagon. There was a lot of support from the US military community. Harry let the UK military know that he was continuing to work on their behalf, while also showing the US military community that he would work here, too. I’m not sure what misstep you think there was. It could be that you relied more than you should have on the BM comments section or the MAGAs comments in the US?

      • Ginger says:

        Then you must really hate the PR of the RF. They always come across as heavy handed and obvious. Remembrance Day isn’t about the veterans it’s about the RF. They wouldn’t let a family member who served lay a wreath all because of protocol.

      • Lorelei says:

        @Cassandra not only is their PR SO much better, but they manage to do it without any social media accounts! That’s impressive imo.

        @Lyds, William has a cookbook out? I had no idea, lol. And what’s worse is I don’t even care enough to learn more about it because he’s so dull.

  14. Becks1 says:

    This is a really touching foreword and a good project for Harry. He is definitely his mother’s son.

    • Chrissy (The Original) says:

      I think Diana would be so proud of him. Harry is her greatest legacy despite what PWT thinks.

      • Lilly (with the double-L) says:

        Yes @Becks1 and @Chrissy OG – it’s so well done and, as mentioned by others too, right at a child’s level of communication. Not performative or awkward. ❤️

  15. Topaz says:

    This is how you do it, be authentic do the work and the results and reach of your work will speak for itself. Just well done. Amazingly no backstabbing needed to shine light on the shortcomings of the Windsor’s.

  16. Amy Too says:

    He just keeps proving what a sweet, kind, caring man he is and the BRF keeps shouting about how manipulative, awful, untrustworthy he is. They, and the RRs, keep getting caught kicking at and smearing him right before he releases something that makes him look compassionate and like a really, really good human. William wants everyone to know that he has been enraged for two straight weeks at the man who comforts and wishes he could personally be there to hug all the children who lost a parent to covid.

  17. Sofia says:

    This is so wonderful and agreed with that this is a very good thing for Harry to do.

  18. A reader says:

    Ok i didn’t have choking up over my morning coffee on my Sunday bingo card, but here we are.

  19. The lady says:

    Omg baby harry is so cute

  20. one of the Marys says:

    I’ll ask here but is it my imagination or are William and Kate way more busy these last couple of weeks?

    • Pétulia says:

      Yes you are right. But don’t tell that to their fans they’ll tell you that these events are planned weeks even months in advance.

  21. Liz version 700 says:

    That is so sweet. The Royals never understood that showing emotional vulnerability never made Diana weak and doesn’t make Harry and Meghan weak. It makes them strong and able to connect with people.

    • sunny says:

      Absolutely right. It takes strength to let yourself be vulnerable. .

      Anyway, I think this was a great project to support for Harry.

  22. Ashton says:

    For me, Harry comes off as genuine, sincere, and real. I felt the same way with Diana. I get the exact opposite feeling in regards to William and Charles.

    • Steph says:

      I don’t get the opposite from Charles- at least in regards to his work. I think he’s genuinely passionate about what he’s working on. And I think that’s a big factor in driving is pettiness. He doesn’t just dislike being over shadowed by other Royals, he hates that his work doesn’t get the attention he feels it deserves.

      William is definitely the opposite, the only thing he cares about is himself.

  23. Amy Bee says:

    The reason why Harry gets more sympathy for him losing his mother than William is because Harry is more willing to talk about his mother and the impact losing her had on him.

    • Pétulia says:

      Exactly. Harry is willing to appear more vulnerable. But William seems to want to always come off as the more strong one. If you don’t show that you’re hurting how can we have sympathy for you ?

    • Harla says:

      Plus William uses Diana to play on peoples sympathy and Harry does not.

      • shirley says:

        Please tell me you are joking.

      • Saucy&Sassy says:

        shirley, I seriously doubt she’s joking. Tell me, which seems to be self-serving: The cards the Cambridge children “made”, or Harry’s forward in this book? If you say it’s Harry’s forward, you’re clearly in camp C, because you really have no understanding of compassion and empathy, which would make you more inclined to view W&K favorably.

      • Merricat says:

        Saucy&Sassy, agreed.

      • shirley says:

        I’m neutral actually. I just don’t think Harry is a saint or William is the devil.

      • shirley says:

        I’m neutral actually. I just don’t think Harry is a saint or William is the devil.

      • Emily_C says:

        I don’t think Harry is a saint or William is the devil either. I think Harry is a basically good person with some faults, as all people have, and William is basically a bad person with some good points probably though I can’t think of any right now. However, when I say William is “basically a bad person,” that doesn’t mean I don’t think he can change. He probably won’t, as he has no real incentive to, but maybe he’ll surprise everyone. In any case, they’re both entirely human.

  24. Nancy says:

    The challenge that Will and Kate have is that M & H are authentic, and truly invested in their pursuits. This is reflected in the quality of their work, with each commitment being unique, well thought out and meaningful for that specific initiative. Will & Kate are simply not capable/willing to make these same investments. So their efforts always look like they are copying people that care. By that i mean “certain” people that care. It doesn’t matter how well staged, how pretty the familiar blouse and slacks, how many Rota report on the marvelousness of it all—it still feels stale and insincere. Of course this would make one rather incandescent.

    • Liz version 700 says:

      This is exactly right. They aren’t even deep enough to understand why their fashion copying doesn’t get better reviews. It’s because H&M aren’t doing things for the reviews!

      • Keri says:

        The organization might feel compromised as they are left with Kensington Karen and Bulliam as the face of the charity. I’m not defending Heads Together, as you’re right, they should have made a statement, but their hands might be tied. Someone who worked at Heads Together is talking on Twitter though and pretty much said Harry was the only genuine Royal. They went on to say that Karen Kensington and Bulliam were arrogant and performative. I have a feeling many people in that organization feel the same way about Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum but are stuck with them.
        PS – Sorry tried to reply under Oh’s comment.

  25. Oh says:

    Heads Together didn’t say any word when Meghan reveals she suffered a miscarriage, and they also remained silent when Meghan spoke in the interview about her suicidal thoughts while she was pregnant with Archie. Heads together is just about PR, really disgusting… I hope that Harry is no longer a patron of that bullshit.

    • Wiglet Watcher says:

      And Kate’s early years said nothing of how a mother’s mental health can affect an infant as they develop. Aren’t the early years the most important according to her pie charts?
      Do POC not count in her data or just her sister in law?

    • Dee says:

      Heads Together was Harry’s project it seems, with two other royal hangers on.

  26. booboocita says:

    Such a wonderful thing to do, and so heartfelt in its expression. And now I feel sorry for the people of the UK, who WON’T have this loving and compassionate man and his equally amazing wife as their king and queen.

  27. Steph says:

    When @oya first posted this on Twitter, my first thought was “this is going to ignite the rage monster.” Anyone want to play “How bad will the PR be?” with me? Will we get really bad photo ops? A “source” telling us how incandescent he is about using his mother’s memory? Will we get a bad copycat?

    What do yall think?

  28. MA says:

    I saw the tweets Kaiser is talking about. Another young person said that Kate went to their school for basically a photo op. She was doing art with kids but the room they were in wasn’t even normally used for that but was set up for her, and she didn’t talk to anyone else except for the kids she was photographed with.
    Another student years ago said the Cambs visited their classroom and it was all very awkward as they just laughed randomly for no reason. We’ve seen their maniacal smiles in their photos through the years and how no one in the room ever quite matches their over the top expressions.

    • Lorelei says:

      She only “works” for about 45 minutes every few weeks and she STILL can’t manage to be friendly to the people she comes into contact with during her engagements? What’s wrong with her?

      But sure, let’s hear more about how regal and “elegant” she is, how she keeps going “from strength to strength,” and of course the old standby, how she never puts a foot wrong.

  29. Petra says:

    Harry is a generous soul. I’m looking forward to see all his future endeavours.

  30. Abby says:

    The tenth anniversary of my mom’s passing is this Friday. I took my children to see her grave for the first time this weekend (They’ve never been–it’s in my hometown). So I’ve been reflecting on the loss of a mother a lot lately. This forward honestly brought me to tears. It is so kind and sincere, and I hope it brings some positive feelings to the children who read it. I am so happy that Harry has found a way to channel the pain from losing his mother into something so worthwhile.

    • Nancy says:

      Abby, I understand your sadness. I miss my mom so much more than when she died. Like Harry, we can only live a life that makes their memory a blessing.