Watch: Prince Harry Speaks Of The Regret He Has About His Mother

Prince Harry, whose mother, Princess Diana, died when he was only 12, said he regretted not opening up sooner about how her death had affected him.

The British prince, now 31, was speaking at a barbecue he hosted at Kensington Palace in honour of a mental health charity. Guests included some of Britain's top athletes, who also spoke about their personal struggles.

When Rio Ferdinand, a former England soccer captain whose wife died from cancer last year turned to Harry for advice, the Prince said "I really regret not ever talking about it." 

Ferdinand was seeking advice on how he should talk to his three children about the loss of their mother.

Harry was 12 when his mother died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. William, his elder brother, was 15. For a long time, neither spoke publicly about their grief. 

But in an interview with the BBC during the barbecue, Harry urged people not to bottle up their emotions.

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

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