REMEMBERING DIANA
Princes William and Harry share emotional memories of their late, lamented mother
THE DEATH OF Diana, Princess of Wales in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997, shocked the world and left her sons Princes William and Harry, then just 15 and 12, grief-stricken.
Now, to mark the forthcoming 20th anniversary of her death, an ITV documentary sees the princes give an emotional interview about the impact she had on their lives.
‘This is the first time that the two of us have ever spoken about her as a mother,’ says Prince Harry, 32. ‘She was our mum. She still is our mum. And of course, as a son, I would say this, she was the best mum in the world. She smothered us with love, that’s for sure.’
The deep bond between Diana and her sons is evident in the never-before-seen personal family photographs that William and Harry share in the documentary, along with their recollections of the fun they experienced with her.
There’s a touching moment where a laughing William studies a picture of his mum holding him as a young boy and says to
Harry: ‘Believe it or not, you and I are in this photograph – you’re in the tummy!’
MISCHIEVOUS SPIRIT Diana famously took her sons to Thorpe Park for a family day out in 1993, with all three of them laughing as they were drenched on a log flume ride. It was symbolic of the way Diana wanted her boys to enjoy as normal an upbringing as possible, and William, 35, says that his mother always had a mischievous spirit.
‘She was very informal and really enjoyed the laughter and the fun,’ he reveals. ‘But she understood that there was a real life outside of Palace walls.’
DIANA’S LEGACY
The documentary also features interviews with Diana’s brother Earl Spencer, her staff and her celebrity pal Sir Elton John. Members of the public, who were touched by her charity work, recall their memories, while William and Harry are filmed as they follow in her footsteps.
‘Many of the issues that she worked on, such as HIV, landmines, homelessness and mental health are the things her sons are associated with now,’ says the documentary’s producer, Ashley Gething.‘during filming we saw that they’ve inherited different traits from her. You see her ability to listen and be sensitive in William, and with Harry you get spontaneity, fun and silliness in spades, so you directly witness her legacy.’