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Prince Harry has revealed that he sometimes asks questions of his late mother, Princess Diana, and feels he receives a response, nearly three decades after her death.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, discussed his connection to Diana in an interview with GQ editor Zach Baron, filmed during his visit to New York in September. He reflected on how he remembers her and the questions he still has about how life might have unfolded if she were alive.
"I don't go too deep," Harry said. "It's just a quick sort of like, 'Wow, miss you. Wonder what the world would be like if you were still here. Wonder what my family would be like if you were still here.'"
He added that he sometimes asks his mother questions when looking for a response.
"And sometimes I do get a response," he said, joking that the experience might make people think he had "spent too much time in California."
Harry said he continues to feel his mother's presence at certain moments in his life. In an earlier discussion about grief, he also described a photograph of Diana that holds particular meaning for him, explaining that her expression makes him feel connected to her.
Diana died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, when Harry was 12. He has spoken openly about how difficult it was to process the loss, including the regret he carries over their final phone conversation.
"If I'd known it was the last call with her, how different that conversation would've been," he told GQ. He recalled wanting to end the call so he could return to playing with his cousins.
For years, Harry struggled with the idea that finding happiness might mean being disloyal to his mother's memory. He said therapy helped him confront those feelings and understand that grief does not have to prevent someone from moving forward.
"I've never wanted to get over the grief," he said, explaining that he once feared letting go of his sadness would mean letting go of Diana.
Becoming a parent also changed his perspective. Harry shares two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, with his wife, Meghan Markle. He said he now carries his mother's memory through his work rather than allowing grief to hold him back.
"Therapy was the thing that really changed it for me," he said. "It gave me permission to grieve and to acknowledge the fact that yeah, losing your mom really sucks, and you're allowed to cry about it."
Harry added that he hopes sharing his experiences can encourage others going through difficult periods to believe that recovery is possible.
