'I regret not talking about my mum, Princess Diana's death'- Prince Harry

It is important to talk about grief and that was what Prince Harry, one of the heirs of the English throne, said to English footballer Rio Ferdinand at an event the prince hosted at Kensington Palace for the mental health charity that he founded alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Heads Together.

With his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, on his first day of school

Picture credit: PA Photos

"It's OK to suffer, as long as you talk about it," he said. "It's not a weakness. Weakness is having a problem and not recognising it and not solving that problem."

"The key message here today is that everyone can suffer from mental health," he continued. 

Prince Harry made his comments about his mother's death as he talked to Ferdinand, saying: "You know, I really regret not ever talking about it."

Father-of-three, Ferdinand - whose wife Rebecca Ellison died from cancer last year - also spoke to the prince about dealing with the death of a parent.

"Whether you're a member of the Royal Family, whether you're a soldier, whether you're a sports star, whether you're a team sport, individual sport, whether you're a white van driver, whether you're a mother, father, a child, it doesn't really matter."

"A lot of people think if you've got a job, if you've got financial security, if you've got a family, you've got a house, all that sort of stuff, everyone seems to think that is all you need and you are absolutely fine to deal with stuff," he said to the BBC.

Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in 1997, when he was just 12.

Prince Harry, 31, was speaking as he hosted an event for the mental health charity, Heads Together, which was attended by a number of sports stars.

Image Credits: PA, Vogue