Prince Harry says his mindset has shifted in one huge way now that he’s a dad

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Obviously having a baby is a transformative moment for all parents (one would hope!) and Prince Harry, new father to two-month-old Archie, is delighting in this big change.

“As a father”

Wee Archie is due to be christened this Saturday in what will apparently be a private ceremony, but that doesn’t mean that Harry’s not keen to chat about his adorable baby boy.

This week he spoke at the National Youth Mentoring Summit, just one day after his mother the late Princess Diana’s birthday.

As Harry presented The Diana Award much of his speech was centred on the impact parents’ behaviour has on their children, his life with Archie, and his own mum too.

Harry likened parenting to an early mentor/mentee relationship, paying tribute to “the invisible role model, the person who may be sitting here today that doesn’t realise that someone looks up to them.” 

He noted that he was feeling the responsibilities of fatherhood acutely and was particularly keen to live the sort of life that Archie would be proud of, and even emulate.

“Perhaps it’s the newfound clarity I have as a father,” Harry told assembled guests, “knowing my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behaviour, one day maybe even following in my footsteps.”

Watch and learn

Harry noted that this role modelling dynamic was all around us, and often went unnoticed.

“But it’s not just my role as a father that shows me that; it’s in the people I see every day that don’t realize how inspirational they are to those watching. You don’t have to be a princess or a public figure to be a role model, in fact it’s equally valuable if you’re not because it’s more relatable.”

As he honoured the award recipient, he spoke of its namesake, his beloved mum who very sadly didn’t get to meet any of her grandchildren.

“To the mentees here today, I am incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved, and I can safely say that my mother, who would have turned 58 yesterday, would feel the same.”

How blinking lovely. Bless him.

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Today, The Duke of Sussex attended UK’s first National Youth Mentoring Summit, hosted by @DianaAward. The Diana Award, created in 1999, is a continuation of Princess Diana’s legacy and her belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better. Young people shared their experiences of being mentees and explained why it is so important to them to have businesses, organisations and leaders support mentoring. Two of these were influential young leaders Deborah and Dorcas Kabongo, who won the Diana Award in 2015 for their work on tackling key issues at the root of gang culture, focusing on the role of women and girls in gang-related violence and crime. They are having a real impact on their local community, showing those who may feel that joining a gang is their only option that there are alternatives in life. Since the creation of the Diana Award almost 20 years ago, the charity has recognised 48,000 selfless young people from across the world for their social action and humanitarian work. It has trained over 28,000 young people to stand up to bullying in their schools and communities through Anti-Bullying Ambassador training and supported over 1,000 vulnerable young people across the United Kingdom by introducing a positive role model into their lives through their Mentoring Programme. “I’m struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model. The person who may be sitting here today that doesn’t realise that someone looks up to them, that for that person, you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful.” – The Duke of Sussex Thanks to organisations like The Diana Award the impact that young people can have is heard and acknowledged. For those who wish to become part of the programme and make a difference, please discover our link in bio for more information. Photo credit: Carmel King/The Diana Award

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