Princess Diana was considered the People’s Princess and a symbol of compassion and humanitarianism. She was everything but ordinary, “breaking” traditions when it came to her children’s happiness. Her passion for motherhood was unmatched.
Ever since her tragic passing, her sons, Harry and William, have gone to great lengths to continue her legacy and honor her to the best of their ability.
“When everybody says ‘she was funny, give us an example’. All I can hear is her laugh,” Harry said in an interview he and William gave back in 2017.
“She was one of the naughtiest parents, she’d come and watch us play football and smuggle sweet into her socks, literally walking back from a football match and having five packages of [candy]. And just, the whole shirt was full with sweets.”
“We felt incredibly loved by her, and I’m very grateful that the love still feels there,” William added.” It feels like a good time to remember her and hopefully provide a different side.”
“It was that love, even though she was on the other side of the room, as her son you could feel it,” Harry said.
She did all in her power to provide a normal childhood to her sons. “William adores his little brother and spends the entire time swamping Harry with an endless supply of hugs and kisses, hardly letting the parents near!” Diana’s handwritten letter to a former steward at Buckingham Palace, Cyril Dickman, states, as reported by The Sun.
One time, she canceled royal lunch because she wanted to take her kids to McDonald’s, chef Darren McGrady shared with Marie Claire. “And I said, ‘Oh my God – your Royal Highness, I can do that, I can do burgers.’ And she said, ‘No, it’s the toy they want,’” McGrady recalled.
Diana was perfectly aware that her children were meant to be protected from the outside world and she was determined to teach them about what’s outside the walls of the royal palace. At the same time, she wanted their childhood to be as normal as possible.
Just as his mother, William wants his three children to be exposed to the realities outside the royal bubble. “George, Charlotte and Louis are not only allowed to be playful, fun, spontaneous, and even cheeky in public, they are actively encouraged by their mum and dad, who often look at their most proud and most doting when they are doing so,” royal and body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail in 2023.
According to her, the freedom to have fun is vital for the young royals. “William and Kate’s parenting duties were always going to be unique as they’re inducting a prince, princess, and future king into the rules, traditions, and formalities of the royal family as well as allowing three small children to have as much fun and freedom as possible as they do so,” she said.
Prince William wants to make sure his children are aware that not everyone is fortunate as they are and that there are people out there who need help.
When he and Harry were young, Princess Diana took them to a homeless shelter, and now William intends to do the same with his own children.
“My mother introduced me to the cause of homelessness from quite a young age, and I’m really glad she did,” William explained. “I think when I can balance it with their schooling, they will definitely be exposed to it. On the school run, we talk about what we see. When we were in London, driving backwards and forwards, we regularly used to see people sitting outside supermarkets and we’d talk about it.”
He continued: “I’d say to the children, ‘Why are they there? What’s going on?’ I think it’s in all our interests, it’s the right thing to do, to expose the children, at the right stage, in the right dialogue, so they have an understanding.”
Katie Nicholl, a royal expert, believes it is appropriate for Prince William to carry on his mother’s values.
“It wasn’t just Diana – Charles also wanted his sons to have a better understanding of life outside the Palace walls,” she told OK!. “They both came from the same perspective of wanting to raise those boys with an understanding of normal life outside the confines of royal protocol.”
“William and Kate’s children are probably more aware of homelessness than most children from privileged backgrounds, because it’s something their father campaigns passionately for and has done since he was 18. I think their eyes have been quite wide open from an early age – and that is largely because of William and Kate’s hard work,” she added.