Prince WilliamandPrince Harry’s children may never have met their grandmotherPrincess Diana, but “Granny Diana” still has a strong presence in their lives.
Prince William, 40, andPrince Harry, 37, are both spending the 25th anniversary of their mother’s deathwith their families privately. In the past, both have talked about the importance of sharing memories of Princess Diana with their children.
Harrysaid in a speechfollowing a charity polo match benefiting his charity Sentebale that he’ll be talking to his children withMeghan Markle—Archie Harrison, 3, andLilibet Diana, 1 — about Diana on this day.
“In Sesotho, the language of the Basotho, the word ‘sentebale’ means ‘forget-me-not,’ " Harry said. “Next week is the25th anniversaryof my mother’s death, and she most certainly will never be forgotten. I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for the way that she did it.”
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“I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her,” he added. “Every day, I hope to do her proud.”
Prince William, Princess Diana and Prince Harry.Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty
The Duke of Sussex surprised the latest recipients of theDiana Award, a worldwide philanthropy honor named for his mom, at a virtual ceremony in July.
“I see her legacy in all of you,” he told them. “I see her legacy in a Diana Award community that spans multiple generations. I see her legacy every time I meet with families, young people, and children from all corners of the world. And,I see my mum’s legacy when I look at my own childrenevery day.”
Prince William and Prince Harry.Alamy Stock Photo
“I got a photo of her in his nursery, and it was one of the first words that he said — apart from ‘mama,’ ‘papa,’ it was then ‘grandma.’ Grandma Diana,“Prince Harryshared. “It’s the sweetest thing, but at the same time, it makes me really sad because she should be here.”
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Archie.DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP via Getty
Prince William and his wifeKate Middletonalso talk about Princess Diana with their three children —Prince George, 9,Princess Charlotte, 7, andPrince Louis, 4. In 2021, the couple shared that their kidsmake cards for their grandmothereach year on Mother’s Day, posting photos of them on Instagram.
Princess Charlotte, who has Diana as one of her middle names in honor of her grandmother, decorated her pink card with a colorful heart, stickers and a sweet note saying that her father was missing his mother. “Dear Granny Diana, I am thinking of you on Mother’s Day. I love you very much,” the young princess wrote. “Papa is missing you. Lots of love Charlotte.”
In the 2017 documentaryDiana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy,Prince Williamsaid he is “constantly talking about Granny Diana” with the children.
“We’ve got more photos up ‘round the house now of her, and we talk about her a bit and stuff,” he added.
“It’s hard because obviouslyCatherinedidn’t know her, so she cannot really provide that — that level of detail,” he said. “So, I do [when] regularly putting George or Charlotte to bed, talk about her and just try and remind them that there are two grandmothers, there were two grandmothers in their lives, and so it’s important that they know who she was and that she existed.”
Prince Williamjokingly admitted that Diana would have perhaps taken to being a grandmother a little too well.
“She’d be a nightmare grandmother, absolute nightmare,” he quipped. “She’d love the children to bits, but she’d be an absolute nightmare. She’d come and go and she’d come in probably at bath time, cause an amazing amount of scene, bubbles everywhere, bathwater all over the place and — and then leave.”
Prince William and Prince Harry.Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty
On what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday in July 2021,Prince WilliamandPrince Harryreunited to unveil a statue of herat Kensington Palace.
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“Today, on what would have been our Mother’s 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character – qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better,” the brothers said in a joint statement. “Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.”
source: people.com
