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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zoe Delaney

Prince Harry recalls seeing Diana in his dreams and calling out 'mummy is that you?'

Prince Harry has recalled how he dealt with the death of his mother at such a young age and how he has seen Princess Diana in his dreams.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, told his interviewer Tom Bradby how he bottled up his emotions following the death of Diana in August 1997 when Harry was just 12-years-old.

Harry and the ITV News star sat down to discuss the former royal's forthcoming memoir Spare, in which the dad-of-two details how King Charles told him his mother had died following a car crash in Paris, France.

The 38-year-old goes on to explain how he "lost a lot of memories" of his late mother - something he thinks was a "defence mechanism" and a way to deal with his loss.

Prince Harry discussed his mother's death during his ITV interview (ITV)

Tom then says to Harry: "But just on that, one of the things that really surprised me in the book is the way you talk about genuinely appearing to have half-convinced yourself that your mother was in fact still alive and in hiding.

He adds: "I mean, like, you talk about seeing her in your dreams and saying, “Mummy, Mummy, is that you?"

"Mm-hmm" Harry replies, as Tom continues to discuss the topic with him.

Harry wasn't even a teenager when his mother lost her life (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Diana died from injuries sustained in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 (Getty Images)

"I mean, it, it, it's a haunting description of really, post-traumatic stress disorder really, isn't it?" Tom asks Harry, "I mean, that's what, that's what the whole early part of this book is."

Harry argues how he prefers to refer to the condition as "post-traumatic stress injury" due to the fact he does not see himself as a person with a disorder.

Tom proceeds to ask Harry about how he "bottled it up for years" and how the Duke of Sussex felt he couldn't even discuss his mother's death with his brother, Prince William.

Harry and Tom have known each other for over 20 years (ITV)

Harry admits he cried one at Diana's burial - something he goes into detail about in his memoir - but recalls it feeling strange at the time.

Filmed in California, where Harry now lives with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Harry: The Interview saw the Prince go into unprecedented depth and detail on life in and out of the royal family.

Harry's interviewer Tom has been closely associated with some of the biggest modern royal moments over recent years and has an exceptionally close bond with Harry these days.

While the former ITV royal correspondent was invited to the weddings of both Prince William and Harry, it seems his relationship with the Cambridges has soured since a rift between William and Harry emerged.

A royal insider claimed in March 2021 that "the friendship between William and Tom is very much over" because of the way the journalist covered Harry and Meghan's royal exit in early 2020.

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