Prince Harry talks of the 'gaping hole' left by his mother's death as he opens orphan charity centre in Lesotho

The Prince said his mother was 'snatched away so suddenly'

The centre will support children orphaned by diseases such as Aids (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Sentebale)

Prince Harry has spoken about the “gaping hole” in his life following the death of his mother Princess Diana.

Speaking at the launch of a charity centre to help orphans and vulnerable young people in Lesotho, Africa the Prince said the experience of losing his mother at a young age allowed him to empathise with the children.

“[The children at the centre] were far younger than me, and of course, their situation was a great deal more challenging than my own.

Prince Harry said experience grief of his own meant he could empathise with the children (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Sentebale)

“Nonetheless, we shared a similar feeling of loss, having a loved one, in my case a parent, snatched away so suddenly.

“I, like them, knew there would always be a gaping hole that could never be filled.”

Prince Harry is a founding patron of the charity Sentebale, which built the new £2million children’s centre.

The centre, which has a hall named after the late Princess of Wales, will support children who have lost parents through Aids. The charity also claim the new facilities will enable them to reach four times as many children who are living with HIV.

In October, Prince Harry’s brother the Duke of Cambridge spoke of the pain of losing his mother in the 1997 car crash in Paris.

In a speech given for the 21st anniversary of the charity Child Bereavement UK he said: “Grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure.”

Additional reporting by the Press Association.