Prince Harry revealed the heartbreaking gift he was given shortly after his mother, Princess Diana, died in a tragic incident on August 31, 1997

Prince Harry was only 12 years old when his beloved mother, Princess Diana, died.

The tragic incident on August 31, 1997, sent shockwaves around the world, with all eyes on Harry and his older brother, Prince William, a week later at her funeral.

The brothers have since gone on to make sure they continued their mother’s work and often speak about their love for the late princess. In his controversial memoir, Spare, in which he took aim at a number of royals, Harry took the time to share his true feelings towards his much-loved mother.

Princess Diana with Harry and William (Image: AFP/Getty Images)

In one excerpt, the Duke of Sussex revealed the gift his mother had left him after her passing. Explaining how he wasn’t exactly sure when the event took place, Harry described the vivid memory of being with his dad, King Charles and his aunt Sarah.

He wrote that whenever the exchange did actually take place, Sarah stepped forward with two tiny blue boxes. “What’s this?,” he asked before being told to open it. The heartbreaking gift, Harry was told, was a lock of his mother’s hair.

Harry continued: “Aunt Sarah explained that, while in Paris, she’d clipped two locks from Mummy’s head.”

Elsewhere in his book, Harry admitted he misses his mother everyday, but played down people’s comparisons of her to the likes of Mother Teresa. He instead explained how his mother was “simply indescribable”.

Describing his feelings that followed years after her passing, Harry candidly shared: “How was it possible that I could see her, clear as the swan skimming towards me on that indigo lake? How could I hear her laughter, loud as the songbirds in the bare trees—still? There was so much I didn’t remember, because I was so young when she died, but the greater miracle was all that I did.”

Harry is thought to have had “regrets” this weekend after not attending Trooping the Colour. Also known as the King’s Birthday Parade, the event seemed to be an unmitigated success, but Harry and wife Meghan Markle were nowhere to be seen.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams shared his thoughts that the Duke of Sussex will feel regret about his no show. He told the Sun: “I think when it comes to military matters Harry has always taken an interest. I think that he does unquestionably view the way the break has occurred with the Royal Family. Which, as I say in my opinion, is the fault of the Sussexes.”