Prince Harry thanks author of book aimed at dealing with losing parent

Prince Harry thanks author who sent him a book aimed at helping ‘children suffering from the bereavement of a loved one’ – after watching the royal deal with the loss of his mother at the same age his own father was murdered

  • Mark Lemon penned ‘The Magical Wood’ after father was murdered 28 years ago
  • UK-based author sent book to Prince Harry admiring how he coped with his mother Princess Diana’s death
  • The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrote back thanking him for the gesture

Prince Harry has thanked an author who sent him a book aimed to help children deal with the heartache of losing a parent.

UK-based writer Mark Lemon penned ‘The Magical Wood’ after his own father James was murdered 28 years ago. 

The dad-of-two posted a copy of the kids book to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after admiring how Prince Harry and William had coped with the death of their mother.

Mark, 41, was just 12 when his dad was stabbed to death – the same age as Harry was when Princess Diana died in 1997.

Prince Harry lost his mother Dianna in a car crash at the age of 12 – the same aged Mr Lenon was when his father was murdered. Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Day Service on March 09, 2020 in London

Author Mark Lemon received a royal thanks after posting a copy of his child bereavement book to Prince Harry. Pictured with wife Simone, 43 and their children Otis, nine and Thea, five

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s representative replied to the author stating that the royal couple were ‘very grateful’ that he had thought of them (pictured)

He was chuffed when he received a letter back from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – whose son Archie is now one.

He said: ‘As someone affected by grief and trauma as a child, I felt compelled to send a copy of my children’s bereavement title The Magical Wood to them.

‘I have a huge amount of admiration for the way that both Prince William and Harry have coped with their grief throughout their lives.

‘It felt strange writing to them, I wasn’t expecting a reply due to how busy they are.’

The dad-of-two posted a copy of the kids book (pictured) to the royal couple after admiring how he and Prince William had coped with the death of their mother

Mr Lemon of Bristol added: ‘I remember the knock at the door to be greeted by the postman.

‘The postman asked me to sign for a delivery and when I looked at the letter I saw the royal crest, it gave me immediate goosebumps.

‘I never expected to receive a reply, so to hold a letter in my hands from Kensington Palace was an incredible feeling.’

Mr Lemon – married to Simone, 43 and dad to Otis, nine and Thea, five, added: ‘It fills me with a huge amount of pride to know that The Magical Wood is on their bookshelves.

‘You never know how, or where, an idea will end up and this is why I am so proud to have received a letter of reply from them.’

Mark, 41, was just 12 when his dad was stabbed to death (pictured with his dad) – the same age as Harry when Princess Diana died in 1997

Mr Lemon posted the letter from the royal couple on Instagram with the caption, stating that he felt the book had made ‘ripples across the lake’

The letter received back from the royal couple read: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have asked me to write and thank you for your letter, kindly enclosing a copy of your book, ‘The Magical Wood’, which was written to help children suffering from the bereavement of a parent or loved one.

‘Their Royal Highnesses were grateful to you for thinking to send them a copy of this book and to know that you are donating proceeds from each copy sold to the childrens’ bereavement charity, ‘Winston’s Wish’

‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have me send you their best wishes.’

Mr Lemon posted the letter on Instagram.

He said: ‘A letter of reply from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. At the start of writing The Magical Wood I pictured myself standing at the edge of a lake holding a stone.

‘I threw the stone into the water and it created a ripple effect. The stone continued to skim across the water, creating more ripples across the lake.

‘Each ripple represents an individual that The Magical Wood has touched along the way.’

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