Prince William and Prince Harry's Heartbreaking Quotes About Princess Diana

In the early morning hours of Aug. 31, 1997, Prince Harry and Prince William lost their mother, Princess Diana, in a tragic accident. Diana, then 36, died from injuries she sustained in a car crash in Paris.

At the time of the fatal accident, Harry, 12, and William, 15, were on summer vacation at their family’s Balmoral estate in Scotland.

“Scotland is the source of some of my happiest memories but also some of my saddest. I was in Balmoral when I was told my mother had died,” William said in a speech to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh in May 2021. 

“Still in shock, I found sanctuary in the service of Crathie Kirk (Church) that very morning. And in the dark days of grief that followed, I found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors," he continued.

While remembering his mother, Harry said that he would've made his last phone call with Diana longer had he known that he was never going to see her again.

“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. All I do remember regretting for the rest of my life how short that phone call is," he said in an interview that aired during the 2017 documentary "Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy," per People. "Looking back now, I have to live with that for the rest of my life.”

Harry and William are now 37 and 40 years old, and since Diana's death, they've spoken candidly about the grief of losing their mother as well as honoring all she left behind. Read on to hear how they've candidly addressed their grieving process.

Prince Harry says that Diana's presence is 'constant' in his life

While speaking to TODAY’s Hoda Kotb at the 2022 Invictus Games, Harry said that he constantly feels Diana's presence. He's already spoken to his son, Archie, 3, about the Princess of Wales.

“I don’t tell him all the stuff that happened, but certainly, ‘This is Grandma Diana,’ and (I) brought a couple photos up in the house," Harry said.

Harry shares Archie and his 1-year-old daughter, Lilibet, with his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. As he navigates fatherhood, Harry said that he's been feeling Diana's presence more than ever.

“For me, (her presence is) constant,” Harry told Hoda. “It has been over the last two years — more so than ever before.”

“It’s almost as though she’s done her bit with with my brother and now she’s very much back to helping me,” Harry said. “Got him set up, now she’s helping me set up. That’s what it feels like, you know? He’s his kids. I’ve got my kids. You know, circumstances are obviously different. But I feel her presence in almost everything that I do now.”

“She’s watching over us," Harry said.

Prince William said he wants to raise his kids like how his mom raised him

In an essay that Prince William wrote for the Big Issue, a British Newspaper, William said that he would like to get his children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4, more involved with charity. 

He cited an eye-opening trip to a homeless shelter at the Passage with his mom when he was 11. In 2005, William became the patron of Centrepoint, a youth homelessness charity in the U.K. 

"In the years ahead, I hope to bring George, Charlotte and Louis to see the fantastic organizations doing inspiring work to support those most in need — just as my mother did for me," he said in June.

William said that his mom taught him how to address problems head-on.

“As she instinctively knew, and as I continue to try and highlight, the first step to fixing a problem is for everyone to see it for what it truly is,” he wrote.

Prince Harry reflects on Diana's 'fight for a better world'

This year, Princess Diana would've turned 61. A few days before her July birthday, Prince Harry spoke about her lasting influence in a vide message he gave at the 2022 Diana Awards, which honors young people for social action or humanitarian work.

“I see her legacy in all of you. I see her legacy in a Diana Award community that spans multiple generations,” he told the audience at the time. “I see her legacy every time I meet with families, young people and children from all corners of the world.

“My mother instilled in me and in all of us a drive to speak up and fight for a better world,” Harry continued. “All of you have kept her voice alive by showing the world how each small action counts, how kindness is still valued and how our world can be better if we choose to make it so.”

During the same awards ceremony, William wrote a letter, saying, "You truly are the personification of my mother’s legacy and I know she would be so proud of you all. I believe there’s no better way to celebrate her life and work than through recognizing incredible people who dedicate so much time and effort to helping those around them.” 

Prince William said he felt like Diana was there when he got married to Kate

In April 2011, Prince William got married to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. In the 2017 HBO documentary, "Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy," he said he felt like his mother was with him when he walked down the aisle.

“When it came to the wedding, I did really feel that she was there,” he said, per People. “You know, there was times when you look to someone or something for strength and I very much felt she was there for me.”

And he proposed to Kate with Diana's wedding ring

When William popped the question to the former Kate Middleton, he presented her with a beautiful sapphire ring that once belonged to Diana.

“Obviously, she’s not going be around to share in all the fun and excitement, so this is my way of keeping her close to it all,” William said of Diana on ITV News shortly after he got engaged to Kate.

Harry called Diana their 'the best mother in the world'

During a service on the 10th anniversary of Diana's death in 2007, held in a chapel in Buckingham Palace, Harry spoke about what his mother meant to him and his brother.

“William and I can separate life into two parts. There were those years when we were blessed with the physical presence beside us of both our mother and father,” Harry said.

“And then there are the 10 years since our mother’s death. When she was alive we completely took for granted her unrivaled love of life, laughter, fun and folly. She was our guardian, friend and protector.

“She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated. She will always be remembered for her amazing public work, but behind the media glare, to us, just two loving children, she was quite simply the best mother in the world.”

Harry said Diana will 'never be forgotten'

In August 2022, approaching the 25th anniversary of her death in 2022, Harry once again addressed Diana's legacy in a speech he delivered after raising funds at the annual Sentebale Polo Cup charity competition in Aspen, Colorado.

Harry explained that he founded the charity with Prince Seeiso (of Lesotho), in memory of their mothers. In the the Sesotho language, 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. “I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for the way she did it.

“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,” Harry said. “Every day, I hope to do her proud."