Prince William admits one thing he was ‘confused’ about in wake of Diana’s death
The Prince of Wales was 15 when he and little brother Harry were told the news that their mother, Princess Diana, had died in a car crash leading to an outpouring of national grief
Prince William suffered a very public trauma with the death of Princess Diana and he has admitted at the time he “couldn’t understand” the grief of people who didn’t know her.
The world woke up to the news that the Princess of Wales had died in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997, and it was Charles who broke the news to sons William and Harry. At the time they were on holiday at Balmoral along with Queen Elizabeth, and other Royal Family members.
It led to an outpouring of grief from the public and also a focus on her sons with William just 15 and Harry, 12, who were pictured courageously at her funeral. Over the years, both princes have shared insights into the period and how they have coped with their mother’s death.
William has spoken about how he wanted Diana to be proud of him and that he didn’t want the tragedy to break him. In the heartfelt ITV documentary Diana, Our Mother, which aired in 2017, he said: “It’ll either make or break you. And I wouldn’t let it break me, I wanted it to make me. I wanted her to be proud of the person I’d become. I didn’t want her worried or her legacy to be, you know, that William and/or Harry were completely and utterly devastated by it.”
William also reflected on the moment he stepped out of Kensington Palace to meet the grieving public and saw a sea of flowers. He read heartfelt messages left in tribute to his mother. “They were shouting, wailing, literally wailing at us, throwing flowers, and yelling, sobbing, breaking down, people fainted, collapsed. It was a very alien environment,” he said.
“I couldn’t understand why everyone wanted to cry as loud as they did and show such emotion as they did when they didn’t really know our mother. I did feel a bit protective at times about that. You didn’t even know her why and how are you so upset? Now looking back, I have learnt to understand what it was she gave the world and what she gave a lot of people.”
When William became Lord High Commissioner to the 2021 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, he also told of being at Balmoral when he heard the news that Diana had died. “Scotland is incredibly important to me and will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve been coming to Scotland since I was a small boy,” he said.
