Prince Harry opens up about the difficulty of losing Princess Diana at 12

While the death of Princess Diana in 1997 was felt around the world, it was naturally hardest on her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. In a brave speech, Harry has opened up about how he was able to fill that lack in guidance with the help of an officer in the army.

Harry was at Mackie Academy in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, on Tuesday as part of The Diana Award, which was set up in memory of the late royal. The program focuses on the role that youth mentors can have on their peers, and it aims to disprove the traditional belief that mentors need to be of a certain age and demographic. The 32-year-old was greeted by Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire Carol Kinghorn, head teacher Louise Moir and a group of pupils from the school.

Harry sat among 60 trainees and mentors and shared that a Colour Sergeant from his stay at the Sandhurst Military Academy played a large role in shaping his character.

"I was at a stage in my life when I was probably lacking a bit in guidance. I lost my mum when I was very young and suddenly I was surrounded by a huge number of men in the army,” he began. "He was someone who teased me at the right moments and gave me the confidence to look forward, to actually have that confidence in yourself to know who you are and to push forward and try to help others."

One of the attendees was 17-year-old Jamie McIntosh, who also lost his mother at an early age. McIntosh wrote a book, titled “My Mum Monica,” to help others grieve and cope with the loss of a parent.

"That's what's it all about,” Harry said. “It's trying to stop other kids in your position having to go through what you had to go through and now your book is going to help everyone around you.”

McIntosh, on the other hand, found comfort in being able to speak to the prince. "He was very understanding and said he could relate to what I was going through,” he told People Magazine.

William and Harry lost their mother in a car accident when they were 15 and 12 respectively.