It’s hard to believe August 31st will mark 25 years since the tragic and untimely death of Princess Diana. The loss of such a vibrant and influential woman was felt worldwide and still is to this today, and no one knows this better than Diana’s own children — Prince William and Prince Harry.
Now, just days before the 25th anniversary of his mother’s death, Prince Harry is remembering his mom and her legacy.
At the time of Prince Diana’s passing, her sons — Prince William and Prince Harry — were aged 15 and 12 at the time, respectfully.
The world watched as these young boys mourned their mother and were forced to live life without her guidance and love.
Since her passing, both Diana’s sons have made an effort to keep her legacy in the hearts and minds of her fans all over the world.
One of the most powerful interviews the brothers did was from the 2017 TV special Our Mother Diana: Her Life and Legacy , which premiered to mark the 20 year anniversary of Diana’s death.
In the special, viewers got a glimpse into William and Harry’s life at the time of their mother’s passing and how they’ve grieved and remembered her ever since.
At the time, Harry revealed that he had only cried tears of grief twice —once at her graveside at Althorp on September 6, 1997, and since then “maybe, maybe once.”
The prince’s also recalled the last phone conversation they had with their mom.
Harry explained he and William were eager to get to back to playing with their cousins at the Queen’s Balmoral castle and rushed off the phone with their mom, as most young boys would.
“And if I’d known that that was the last time I was going to speak to my mother the things that I would – the things I would have said to her,” Harry said.
William and Harry both expressed the pain it brings them to speak publicly about their mother, “We won’t speak as openly and as publicly about her again,” William said at the time.
Now, in the week leading up to the 25th anniversary of his mother’s death, Harry paid tribute to Princess Diana in his Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup speech in Aspen, Colorado.
It’s clear Harry is focusing on keeping Diana’s philanthropic legacy alive. An example of this is when the Prince founded Sentebale with Prince Seeiso back in 2006. The outstanding organization “gives hope to children and young people affected by HIV in Lesotho and Botswana.”
Harry shared at the event, as per ET: “In Sesotho, the language of the Basotho, the word Sentebale means ‘forget-me-not.’”
“Next week is the 25th anniversary of my mother’s death, and she most certainly will never be forgotten,” he said to the crowd.
“I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for the way that she did it.”
“She was tireless in her work to support and destigmatize those experiencing HIV and AIDS. Fittingly, her favorite flowers were ‘forget-me-nots.'”
“I hope we can remember my mother’s legacy by recommitting to those that we serve, whoever and wherever they may be,” he added.
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I have no doubt that we will!
h/t: ET
