Prince Harry on Why He Fought in British Army: 'There's Still Scars Left Open from My Mom's Awesomeness'

Prince Harry is reflecting on his time serving in the British Army — and how his mother, Princess Diana, inspired his service.

In the third episode of his new Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the 38-year-old Duke of Sussex opens up about his 10 years in the military, saying it "gave me the lived experience that other members of my family wouldn't have had."

"Two tours in Afghanistan, flying Apache helicopters on a military base, means that you grow up pretty fast. Jeez, I went to war twice," he continued.

The royal went on to say that he found a "second family" in "the lifelong friends" he made during that poignant time in his life — and also credits his mother, Princess Diana, as inspiration.

"For that point ... Yeah, there's still scars left open from from my mom's awesomeness, to put it mildly," Harry said with a laugh.

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In the same episode, Harry and wife Meghan Markle are shown visiting McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey in honor of Veterans Day last year.

"I'm watching my husband over there — you see how much joy it brings him to be back on a base, and he immediately goes back into military banter," Meghan, 41, said to those gathered around.

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During a conversation surrounding the military pension period, the prince said, "I signed up for three [years] and then they kept dangling the carrot of different options in front of me, and I ended up serving 10 years."

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Before stepping back from his role as a working member of the royal family in 2020, Harry held three honorary military titles: Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command.

This past Veterans Day, Harry made a surprise visit to Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he toured the USS Arizona Memorial in a personal capacity. A somber site in American history books, the battleship was bombed by Japanese forces in December 1941. Over 1,100 crew members died in the attack, which drove the U.S. to enter World War II.

The USS Arizona Memorial on the island of Oahu is a short flight from Harry's home in Montecito, California, where he lives with Meghan and their children: son Archie Harrison, 3½, and daughter Lilibet Diana, 18 months.

"He kind of approached us," Dan Conover, who was also touring the USS Arizona with his family on Friday, told PEOPLE shortly after the visit of seeing Harry there.

"I moved out of his way because he's royalty; I figured I'd let him do his thing. He basically gave me a greeting," explained Conover, 23. "He was very respectful and courteous and nice. I moved out of his way, and he kind of patted me on the back and said, 'You're all good mate.' It was a simple interaction, but he was very nice and courteous and respectful."

The first three episodes of Harry & Meghan are now streaming on Netflix.