In the cold, Princes William and Harry commemorate this Wednesday, in private and thousands of kilometers away, the 25th anniversary of the death of their mother Diana, which turned the planet upside down and shook the British monarchy.
“Lady Di,” whose fairytale wedding and then devastating divorce from Prince Charles had fascinated the world, died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, chased by paparazzi. Her two sons, then 15 and 12, moved millions as they walked side by side behind her casket, fighting back tears in front of the cameras.
Five years ago, on the 20th anniversary of her death, William and Harry participated in public memorials and spoke about their mother. This year nothing will happen.
No public commemorations
According to daily telegraphthe two brothers “have decided to draw a line in their public commemorations”, spokesmen for the two princes confirm that they will each mark the event in private.
William, 40, left London this summer to move with his wife Kate and their three children to Windsor, west of the capital and where Queen Elizabeth II also resides.
His younger brother Harry, 37, lives in California with his wife Meghan and their two children after the couple decided to leave the royal family in 2020.
Like every year, spectators must come and lay flowers in front of Kensington Palace in London or near the entrance to the Paris tunnel where the princess died at the age of 36.
The Princess of Wales remains an icon who shook royal convention and is still associated with the humanitarian causes that were important to her, such as her fight against landmines and her support of AIDS patients.
According to Majesty Magazine’s Joe Little, Diana’s legacy can be seen in the less formal way William and Harry carry themselves today compared to the rest of the royal family.
“There’s a lot more expression of emotion,” she explains, taking the example of Prince William kissing the winning women’s soccer players at the European Championships this summer.
“Guillermo sees that there is no need for as many procedures as those that existed when his father was his age,” adds the specialist.
Harry, who admitted his mother’s death had affected his psychological health, said he would spend the day with his family.
“I hope to make her proud”
“Every day I hope to make her proud,” he said last week in the United States at a dinner for an association that helps patients with AIDS. “I want it to be a day full of memories of her amazing work and her love.”
In 2021, the two cold brothers met to unveil a statue of their mother in front of Kensington Palace, but they barely spoke to each other.
They then claimed to recall “her love, her strength, and her personality, the qualities that made her a force for good around the world.”
The two brothers who since then have not shown signs of rapprochement.
During the celebrations for Elizabeth II’s 70th reign in June, Harry and William sat far apart during a church service.
Harry and Meghan have accused the royal family of racism, saying they were asked about the skin color of their unborn child, as Meghan is of mixed race. What William denied in front of the cameras.
Any reconciliation is suspended over the contents of a book of confidences that Harry must publish at the end of the year, eagerly awaited by the press that speculates on possible reckonings and revelations.
Harry and Meghan are expected to return to the UK in September. They will stay in Windsor, on Queen Elizabeth II’s estate, near William’s new home. But, according to the British press, the two brothers have no plans to see each other.
Source: BFM TV
