The documentary explores William's and Harry's feelings about walking behind Diana's coffin in the funeral procession — which still haunts them, 20 years later. 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"Now all I want to do is try and fill the holes that my mother has left, and that's what it's about for us — is trying to make a difference and in making a difference, making her proud," Harry said. "But you know, he was going through the same grieving process as well. Why? Prince Harry has been open about his battle with depression following his mum's death when he was just 12. "Back then, obviously, there were no smartphones or anything like that, so you couldn't get your news, and thankfully at the time, to be honest, we had the privacy to mourn and collect our thoughts and to have that space away from everybody," William said. The royal family went to Crathie Kirk Church near Balmoral Castle shortly after Diana's death and upon their return viewed hundreds of floral tributes and notes laid outside the castle's gates. "And I have no idea why but it made me so angry," she said. I am now fired up and energized and love charity stuff, meeting people and making them laugh,” he says. 383207 02: Prince Charles, Right, Accepts Some Flowers From A Well-Wisher After He And His Sons Prince William, And Prince Harry, Left, Arrived At Kensington Palace To View Some Of … ", "I wanted her to be proud of the person I would become, and I didn't want her worried or her legacy to be that William or Harry were completely and utterly devastated by it," he added. Prince Harry says his mother's death is 'a wound that festers' The royal got candid about his grief and the reminders that take him “straight back” to the loss of Princess Diana. William and Harry also shared how their grandmother hid the newspapers from them at Balmoral Castle at the time so they would not be aware of the intense media coverage and the details of their mother's death. With time, however, William and Harry are now even more dedicated, given the events surrounding Diana's death, to carry on her legacy. William's brother, Prince Harry, recalled being consoled by members of the public and being struck by the fact that they, too, were grieving for his mother in their own way. Perhaps most heartbreaking was William's and Harry's anger at what happened in the Pont d'Alma tunnel in Paris immediately after the car that Diana was traveling in crashed. I don't think it would happen today.". "One of the hardest things for a parent to have to do is to tell your children that your other parent has died," Harry said in the documentary, "Diana, 7 Days. I'll never know. ", He continued, "She'd had a quite severe head injury, but she was very much still alive in the backseat and those people that, that caused the accident, instead of helping, were taking photographs of her dying in the backseat, and those photographs may have made their way back to news desks in this country.". However, it wasn't an easy decision for the 15-year-old William and 12-year-old Harry. "If I can be even a fraction of what she was, I'll be proud, and I'll hopefully make her proud in what I've done," William said. Prince Harry has been angry with the media since childhood and when British tabloids began attacking his wife, he decided to not be silent. I was still in shock," he added. Harry said, "It was a case of 'How do we let the boys grieve in privacy but, at the same time, when is the right time for them to put on their prince hats and carry out duties?'". I don't know. We've been told that numerous times by people that know that that was the case. But you know, he was there for us. ", He added that it was difficult to "balance between me being Prince William and having to do my bit, versus the private William who just wanted to go in a room and cry because he'd lost his mother. “My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television,” he tells Newsweek in a . Lady McCorquodale said Queen Elizabeth "did absolutely the right thing" in protecting William and Harry at Balmoral, adding, "If I was her, I would have done that.". 07 May 2012 • 10:50 am The princes William and Harry with (L to R) their grandfather, Prince Philip, their uncle, Earl Spencer, and their father, Prince Charles in the funeral cortege for Diana, Princess of Wales, on September 6, 1997. ", William said, "I wouldn't let it break me. Prince William opens up about Princess Diana's funeral, Princess Diana's brother speaks: 'This was a special person ... not just a beautiful one', Slideshow: Diana – the life of a princess. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews at St Mark's Church, May 20, 2017, in Englefield Green, England. "You feel very, very confused. The Princess died on August 31, 1997 in a car accident in Paris. HollywoodLifers, Is Prince Harry your favorite British royal? Why does this have to happen to me?," Harry said. Prince William and Prince Harry have opened up about the days that immediately followed the death of their mother Princess Diana, admitting it was … As the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's death nears, her sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, reveals new insight into the life and death of the British royal. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales walk outside Westminster Abbey during the funeral service for Diana, Princess of Wales, Sept. 6, 1997. Prince William was just 15 and his brother Prince Harry only 12, when their mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997. That was part of this whole trigger system, which nearly brought me to the point of crying in public, which I didn't do," Harry said. Prince Harry, then 12, felt so traumatised by his mother’s death that he vowed never to cry in public for the rest of his life – but almost broke down when Elton John sang at her funeral; ", He added that there was "this element of duty and responsibility that you have to do things you don't want to do. The hymn was sung at Princess Diana's funeral nearly 21 years ago, when Prince Harry was just 12 years old. "Yes, it was amazing. "Elton John's song was incredibly emotional. Twenty years later, the royal siblings have opened up about their mother's untimely passing in a new documentary to mark the 20th anniversary of her death. Prince Harry's Heartbreaking Comments on Walking Behind His Mother's Coffin: No 'Child Should Be Asked to Do That' this link is to an external site … Nashville bombing suspect killed in explosion: FBI, Families of young people who died from COVID speak out, 'Joe Biden is the properly elected president': Maryland governor, 5 women and girls found dead in possible homicide: Police, President-elect Joe Biden gets COVID-19 vaccine. "And William and I know that. Prince Harry attended the exclusive school in Wokingham between 1992 and 1998 - the period in which his mother and father divorced and when Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris. ", William described how he bowed his head, hoping to hide behind his long bangs. IT WAS an utterly heart-wrenching moment when Prince William and Prince Harry walked behind their mother’s coffin at her funeral in September 1997. Harry, the fifth in line for the throne, told Newsweek this spring, "I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. IT was an utterly heart wrenching moment when Prince William and Prince Harry were pictured walking behind Princess Diana’s coffin, at her funeral in … Why has this happened to us?'". The young princes were vacationing at Balmoral Castle in Scotland with their father when they heard the news of Diana's death. The danger is that this current clash between Prince Harry and the monarchy will end with the same acrimony Credit: Anwar Hussein O n September 6 1997, the remarkable funeral … Sunday 23 October 2011 00:32. “I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. All the time, 'Why? "I was very touched by it, but none of it sank in," William said in the film. William and Harry were 15 and 12, respectively, when their mother died in a car crash in Paris. "But I just kept thinking about what she would want and that she'd be proud of Harry and I being able to go through it. But Prince Harry said he was "very glad" to have been part of the funeral cortege for his mum. From Sarah Helm. I wanted it to make me. They were unwilling to point fingers at who compelled them to walk in the funeral cortege while they were still grieving. Home » Prince Harry » Remembering Princess Diana: Prince Harry’s Regrets About Last Conversation With His Mother. ", "I remember just feeling completely numb, disorientated, dizzy," William said. Download this stock image: Prince William and Prince Harry during Queen Mother's funeral procession, Queen Mother's coffin during her funeral, public funeral of The Queen Mother - D00PYG from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. Prince Harry spoke candidly in a recent interview about his mother's funeral and his views on the British monarchy. Prince William hid his grief over his mother’s death from all but his immediate family to “protect himself”, a new biography claims. August 31 marks 23 years to the day since Princess Diana‘s death. "We had no idea that the reaction to her death would be quite so huge.". ", Speaking of the news coverage, Lady McCorquodale recalled, "There was a period of two hours and I was talking obviously to other members of my family and learned that she hadn't made it, and for these two hours the presenters on every news channel were saying 'injured but expected to make a full recovery.'". ", Harry said, "I was just so focused on getting it done and doing everything that was asked of me there and then and making sure that I did my mother proud.". Look what's happened to my mother. Have news, pics or video on a breaking news story? "Why didn't she put it on that night? He was the one out of two left, and he tried to do his best and to make sure that we were protected and looked after," Harry said of Charles. "Years after, I spent a long time in my life with my head buried in the sand, thinking, I don't want to be Prince Harry. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. © Copyright 2020 HollywoodLife, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Jeff J. Mitchell / RTA/WPA Pool / AFP He said he nearly cracked and broke down during the funeral service, particularly when he listened to a poignant musical dedication to his mother inside Westminster Abbey. While his father Prince Charles, 68, uncle Earl Spencer, 53, and then 15-year-old brother Prince William were all mature enough to handle the grim duty, little Harry seemed so out of place as he was so deeply mourning his beloved mother’s untimely death at just 36-years-old. Caroline Davies. In one of the most heartbreaking moments of royal history, the young princes were photographed walking behind their mother's coffin at her 1997 funeral. Prince Charles refused to let Harry carry out his final wish for mum Princess Diana The Princess of Wales had an extremely close bond with both her sons before her death on August 31, 1997 mirror — -- In a new BBC documentary, Prince William and Prince Harry reveal how they learned about their mother's heartbreaking death in 1997 and how their father, Prince Charles, and grandmother Queen Elizabeth comforted them in the aftermath. Harry is revealing how his mother’s death in a Paris car crash really took a toll on his formative years, but that he ultimately has pulled it together and is trying to live a life that would have made her proud. "She felt very torn between being a grandmother to William and Harry and her queen role," William added. The Prince shared that he’s gone through therapy to cope with her loss in an April podcast interview with The Daily Telegraph, where he said, “I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well.” The royal also added, “I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and sort of lies and misconceptions and everything are coming to you from every angle.” As a result, Harry, along with Prince William and his sister-in-law Kate Middleton, are leading a campaign called Heads Together, which is an effort to break the stigma surrounding mental health. I didn’t want to be in the position I was in, but I eventually pulled my head out of the sand, started listening to people and decided to use my role for good. "Generally, I don't have an opinion on whether that was right or wrong. I don’t think it would happen today.” It was all the more poignant that atop Diana’s coffin was a round bouquet of white roses from Harry with a card atop it, on which the envelope he wrote “Mummy.” He was just a young boy and it seemed almost cruel that he was made to keep a stuff upper lip and walk for miles in her funeral procession when he was so clearly grieving. Prince William and Prince Harry lost their mother, Princess Diana at a very young age and in tragic circumstances. It was incredibly moving to know, but at that point, I wasn't there. "She loved Harry and I dearly, even so that I can sit here after 20 years and I still feel that love. ", Harry said, "Looking back now, probably the last thing I wanted to do was read what other people were saying about my mother.". “My mother died when I was very young. What have I done? The brothers described the walk behind her flower-draped casket as a "group" decision. And you keep asking yourself, 'Why me?' It was such a heartbreaking image when the world watched as a 12-year-old Prince Harry walked behind his mom Princess Diana‘s coffin during her Sept. 6, 1997 funeral. William reflected on the complicated feelings he and his brother were having in the immediate aftermath of Diana's death and the brave faces they tried to put on in public, saying, "I think it was a very hard decision for my grandmother to make.". Duke will tiptoe to his mother's grave: Prince Philip sidesteps a 46-year ban on royal visits to make a private trip to Jerusalem's Mount of Olives. Photograph: The HALO Trust/AFP/Getty Images. Prince Harry honors his mother not just with this statue, but by being a devoted husband and father, and not by trying to dredge up dirt in a petty documentary. Queen Elizabeth was criticized at the time for shielding the boys from the public and allowing them to grieve in private, but William and Harry have praised her decision. “I Don’t Think Any Child Should Be Asked to Do That”—Prince Harry on His Mother’s Funeral, Living an Ordinary Life, and Making This Moment Count By Madeleine Lucke l June 21, 2017 "I know it sounds ridiculous, but at the time I felt if I looked at the floor with my hair in my face, no one could see me. "I think one of the hardest things to come to terms with is the fact that the people that chased her into the tunnel were the same people that were taking photographs of her while she was still dying in the backseat of the car," Harry said. She also recalled being "angry" at the news coverage after the car accident that claimed Diana's life and said she still wonders why Diana was not wearing her seatbelt on the night she died. Harry was just … Should young Prince William and Prince Harry have been made to march behind the coffin of their mother Princess Diana? "And you have to be quite strong about it because otherwise you're a walking mess. This Tabloid Has No Royal Insight. He is also trying to revenge his mothers’ death, and he doesn’t care what Queen Elizabeth II thinks, nor his father, because he always believed that they were the ones responsible for Princess Diana’s death. It was such a heartbreaking image when the world watched as a 12-year-old Prince Harry walked behind his mom Princess Diana‘s coffin during her Sept. 6, 1997 funeral. She was just 36 years old. William said, "It wasn't an easy decision, and it was sort of a collective family decision to do that. "She was religious in putting on her seatbelt," Lady McCorquodale said. I don't want this responsibility. Prince Harry has said he is "very glad" he joined the funeral cortege for his mother, Princess Diana. Royal courtiers feared Prince Charles would be lynched by angry members of the public at Diana’s funeral unless his sons accompanied him as he walked behind her coffin, it emerged last night. When we go out and do things like that, in order not to completely and utterly break down, we have to put on a bit of a game face," William said. I don't want this role. ", "How you deal with that? ", "I have to say that whenever it becomes that personal as walking behind your mother's funeral cortege, it gets to another level of duty," he said. Prince William and Prince Harry, the sons of Diana, Princess of Wales, bowing their heads as their mother's coffin is taken out of Westminster Abbey, following her funeral service, Sept. 6, 1997. "She was the Princess of Wales, and she stood for so many things, but deep down inside for us, she was a mother. Prince William and Prince Harry, the sons of Diana, Princess of Wales, bowing their heads as their mother's coffin is taken out of Westminster Abbey, following her funeral service, Sept. 6, 1997. I am glad I was part of it. "It was kind of like a little tiny bit of safely blanket," he said. Now he’s opening up in a big way about how much that experience scarred him emotionally. Looking back on it now, I am very glad I was part of it," Harry said in the documentary. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The brothers admitted that they questioned their royal duty. Prince Harry has given an incredibly candid interview in which he shared his anguish at having to walk behind his mother’s coffin at her funeral procession. Harry elaborated, sharing that, in retrospect, he was grateful to participate in the procession and to make his mother "proud.". And we will miss our mother, and I wonder every single day what it would be like having her around. 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