Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, during Tuesday’s January 10, 2023 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Prince Harryis opening up, yet again, about his relationship with his brotherPrince William.

The Duke of Sussex appeared for a chat withStephen Colberton Tuesday’s episode ofThe Late Show, the same day his groundbreaking memoir,Spare, was officially released. During his appearance, Harry discussed how things might be different if their mother, Princess Diana, did not die at the young age of 36.

“If your mother were still alive, do you ever think about how she might handle this moment?” Colbert asked Harry, referring to tension between him and the Prince of Wales.

“We wouldn’t have got to this moment,” Harry replied. “It’s impossible to say where we would be now — where those relationships would be now — but there is no way that the distance between my brother and I would be the same.”

Colbert then asked Harry about his feelings on being 38, two years older than Diana was when shedied in a Paris car crashon Aug. 31, 1997.

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the annual Remembrance Sunday memorial at The Cenotaph on November 10, 2019 in London, England.

“Well, she died at 36, and I was 36 when this all kicked off,” Harry said, referencing when he and wifeMeghan Markledecided to make a major change and distance themselves from the British monarchy. “January of 2020 was when my wife and I basically said, ‘Enough, we can’t cope. We can’t deal with this. We need to carve out something different.’ So that was an interesting overlap of time.”

During Harry’s interview with Colbert, theSpareauthor admitted that, for years after his mother’s death, he would still believe Diana was alive.

“For many years I had dreams. I was convinced that she was still alive. I mean, I was 12 years old,” Harry said. “I could not face the reality that she was gone.”

When asked where he thought she was, Harry replied: “Hiding. Taking a break, plotting, planning, and then coming to get me and William to get us out of there because it was unbearable for her.”

When Colbert pointed out that Harry also “removed” himself from a “toxic situation,” the royal responded: “Yeah. And I’m glad … Not before trying to make it work. Believe me, we tried. And we’re still trying.”

Tim Graham Photo Library

Princess Diana At A Banquet In New Zealand Wearing The Cambridge Knot Tiara ( Queen Mary’s Tiara ) With Diamond Earrings. Her Cream Silk Organza Evening Dress Is Designed By Fashion Designer Gina Fratini

During another recent interview with Anderson Cooper before the release ofSpare, Harry said he has not recently spoken with his father, King Charles III, nor his older brother, William.

When Cooper asked how long it had been since the siblings spoke, Harry replied, “A while.”

“Do you speak to your dad?” Cooper followed.

“We aren’t — we haven’t spoken for quite a while,” Harry said. “Um, no, not recently.”

AlthoughPrince Harrysaid hedoesn’t see himself returning as a full-time working member of the royal family, he said the rift can be healed — but “the ball is very much in their court.”

Amid days of intense reaction to his groundbreaking book, Harry opened up further about “the raw account” he offers in his candid book in anexclusive interview with PEOPLE.

Jenna Jones

Prince Harry cover rollout

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“I don’t want to tell anyone what to think of it and that includes my family,” he said. “This book and its truths are in many ways a continuation of my own mental health journey. It’s a raw account of my life — the good, the bad and everything in between.”

“My hope has been to turn my pain into purpose, so if sharing my experience makes a positive difference in someone’s life, well, I can’t think of anything more rewarding than that!” he said.

source: people.com