When it comes to beauty, Prince Harry knows it's a powerful tool.
In his tell-all memoir, Spare, the Duke of Sussex revealed how he processed the grief and pain of losing his mother, Princess Diana, by reaching for one of her beloved perfumes. Following Lady Di's tragic death in August 1997, which took place when Harry was only 12 years old, he recalled his therapist urging him to work through his emotions.
'"We're breaking through,' she said," Harry wrote of his therapist's advice. "'Let's not stop.'"
He decided to bring a bottle of Princess Diana's favorite fragrance: First by Van Cleef & Arpels—which includes floral and woodsy notes.
"At the start of our session, I lifted the lid, took a deep sniff. Like a tab of LSD," Harry shared. "I read somewhere that smell is our oldest sense, and that fitted with what I experienced in that moment, images rising from what felt like the most primal part of my brain."
Princess Diana was also known to love Penhaligon's Bluebell, a fragrance with a unique blend of florals, fruits and spices.
But the late royal's perfume wasn't the only scent to evoke memories and emotions in Harry.
On Aug. 30, 1997—the night before Princess Diana passed away—Harry recalled speaking to his father, King Charles III (a prince then) about his mother. And while the details of their conversation weren't shared, Harry did note Charles' gunpowder-like smell from that evening.
"Pa stopped by on his way to dinner. He was running late, but he made a show of lifting a silver dome—Yum, wish I was having that!—and taking a long sniff," Harry described in Spare. "He was always sniffing things. Food, roses, our hair. He must've been a bloodhound in another life."
Harry continued, "Maybe he took all those long sniffs because it was hard to smell anything over his personal scent. Eau Sauvage."
The 38-year-old pointed out this father slathered the Christian Dior cologne all over his cheeks, neck and shirt.
"Flowery, with a hint of something harsh, like pepper or gunpowder, it was made in Paris," Harry recalled. "Said so on the bottle. Which made me think of Mummy."
"Yes, Harry, Mummy's in Paris," Charles told him and big brother Prince William, according to Harry. "Be good, boys...Don't stay up too late."
Harry added, "He left. His scent remained."
Keep scrolling to read more bombshells from Harry's new memoir.