Harry: ‘I nearly cried watching it back’

HARRY found watching the new documentary so emotional that it almost reduced him to tears.

It has emerged that, after seeing the programme for the first time, Harry called the producers and said: ‘I nearly cried several times watching it back. Thank you, it’s brilliant.’

The eventual structure of the programme surprised the production company Oxford Films, which also made last year’s celebratory documentary: Our Queen At 90.

Producers for the company approached Kensington Palace more than a year ago, seeking permission to produce a programme about Princess Diana’s life and work. It soon became clear, however, that the Princes were interested in creating a more lasting, heartfelt documentary to mark the 20th anniversary of their mother’s death.

Producer Ashley Gething said: ‘We were invited to meet the Princes face-to-face. We thought it would be about Diana’s legacy but they had thought about it and told us that they hadn’t really spoken about their mother much before, just bits and pieces – and they were pretty adamant that they wouldn’t again – but there was a window here.

‘Talking about her on such a personal level had been too raw and painful for them before.’

He reveals that the Princes particularly wanted to use the programme to show young people, born after Diana’s death 20 years ago, just how much their mother achieved. He said: ‘William and Harry realised that there is a new, younger generation who didn’t know about their mum, and they wanted to tell them about her and what she did.

‘She did so much in raising awareness on taboo subjects such as HIV, mental health and homelessness. The Princes want people to know all of that.’

Gething and his colleague Nick Kent conducted one-hour interviews with William and Harry in meeting rooms at Kensington Palace and had three follow-up meetings. ‘Both Princes are very emotionally mature and speak very emotionally eloquently,’ said Gething.

The landmark documentary will be shown worldwide, and is expected to attract a huge TV audience in the USA tomorrow night.

Gething said: ‘The interest out in America for Diana is huge.

‘I am going on the Today show on Monday morning, which is watched by 40million people.

‘It is wonderful that there is still such a lot of interest in her work.’