Why William and Harry say they 'let Diana down'

Prince William and Prince Harry have revealed they feel they let their mother, Princess Diana, down when they were younger.

Speaking about the death of Diana for a BBC1 documentary – which is set to air in August – the princes opened up about how they’re still affected by her passing, 20 years later.

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“Part of the reason why Harry and I want to do this is because we feel we owe it to her … I think an element of it is feeling like we let her down when we were younger,” Prince William said, according to reports.

Prince William and Harry have spoken out for a BBC documentary about their mother's death. Photo: Getty
Prince William and Harry have spoken out for a BBC documentary about their mother's death. Photo: Getty
Prince William said he and Harry feel like they let their mother down when they were younger. Photo: Getty
Prince William said he and Harry feel like they let their mother down when they were younger. Photo: Getty

“We couldn’t protect her. We feel we at least owe her 20 years on to stand up for her name and remind everybody of the character and person that she was. Do our duties as sons in protecting her.”

Prince Harry also said it is still “shocking” and “amazing” to them how much of an outpour of love they received after their mother’s death.

“It was amazing that our mother had such a huge effect on so many people,” he said.

“When you’re that young and something like that happens to you I think it’s lodged in here, there, wherever – in your heart, in your head and it stays there for a very very long time.

Prince Harry said they still can't believe the outpouring of love from the public after their mother died. Photo: Getty
Prince Harry said they still can't believe the outpouring of love from the public after their mother died. Photo: Getty
Never heard before details about Diana's funeral have been revealed. Photo: Getty
Never heard before details about Diana's funeral have been revealed. Photo: Getty

“I think it’s never going to be easy for the two of us to talk about our mother, but 20 years on seems like a good time to remind people of the difference that she made not just to the Royal Family but also to the world.”

Their admissions come after it war revealed this week that the Queen covered all TVs and William didn't want to walk behind the casket.

According to The Sun, a new Channel 5 documentary, called Diana: 7 Days That Shook The Windsors, exposes what was really going on in the royal family in the days after Diana’s death.

The Queen reportedly removed or covered any TV’s and radios in her Balmoral estate so the young princes, William and Harry, wouldn’t be bombarded with images of their tragic mother.

The Queen tried to protect William and Harry by covering all the TVs and radios in Balmoral. Photo: Getty
The Queen tried to protect William and Harry by covering all the TVs and radios in Balmoral. Photo: Getty

She is also said to have let the princes sleep in on the morning of Diana’s death, instead of being woken up and told their mother had died.

According to the Daily Mail, when the princes were eventually told the devastating news, Prince Harry was desperate to go to Paris to be with his mother’s body.

It’s also revealed in the documentary that Earl Spencer asked to walk behind Diana’s coffin alone but Prince Charles was adamant he should accompany him on the procession.

It’s also claimed that Prince Philip was so eager to protect Prince William and Prince Harry that he was willing to do whatever it took to keep them out of the public eye on the day.

According to the documentary, when the committee who organised Diana’s funeral claimed William should join the procession, his grandfather stepped in and said he should be allowed to do his grieving in private.

William of course changed his mind at the last minute and both he and his brother, Prince Harry, accompanied his mother’s casket to her final resting place.


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