The Invictus Games opened today and Prince Harry took a moment whilst promoting the event to share his feelings about finding a role in the Royal Family in the wake of Princess Diana's iconic legacy.
"If there's even a small void I can fill, then that's mission success for me,” he told Good Morning Britain, “I literally couldn't imagine being in this position and no one caring what I do. The name [Princess Diana] is almost a brand. I don't think there's pressure to fill her boots because I'll never be able to do that.”
After the Prince left the Armed Forces in 2008 after a highly-publicised stint that included a tour of Afghanistan, he felt that the Invictus Games would be a great way not just to celebrate the men and women still serving in the armed forces across the globe, but also honour his late mother's memory.
“It's a great shame she's not here but every day I wonder what it would be like if she was here, what she would say and how she'd be making everyone laugh. There's all sorts of emotions as I'm back here trying to make her proud. We want to make sure that there’s something that she’s remembered by and there’s certainly not enough on the right scale in London, or anywhere in the UK, that she’s remembered for. Something needs to be put in stone or in place as a memory. Lots of people still talk about her.”
“Every single day we still think about her, so it would be very fitting on the 20th anniversary to have something that is going to last forever and is a proper recognition of what she did when she was alive.”
The Games will be taking place in Florida for five days, and will see more than 500 athletes from 14 countries competing in a range of sports including cycling, tennis and basketball. With the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations also ongoing, it’s proving to be a busy year for Harry and his fellow Royals.
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