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Everything William and Harry have said about Princess Diana’s funeral

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The sixth and final season of the acclaimed Netflix series “The Crown” delves into the poignant and heartbreaking moment when Prince William and Prince Harry, then just children, walked behind their mother Princess Diana’s casket during her funeral procession. This historical event, which captured the world’s attention, is set to be portrayed in the upcoming season.

The new season, scheduled to premiere on November 16th, will initially release the first four episodes, followed by the remaining six episodes on December 14th. This final installment of “The Crown” is set to cover the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, with a particular focus on the final moments leading up to Princess Diana’s untimely death in 1997.

The late Princess of Wales, portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki, tragically lost her life at the age of 36 in a high-speed car crash in a Paris tunnel. The fatal accident also claimed the lives of her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, played by Khalid Abdalla, and their chauffeur, Henri Paul. This shocking event sent shockwaves around the world and triggered an outpouring of public grief, with many royal fans turning their attention to the British royal family, particularly Diana’s sons, William and Harry.

The tragic loss of Princess Diana in 1997 left her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, at the tender ages of 15 and 12, respectively, to grapple with the immense grief of losing their mother. During Diana’s funeral on September 6th, 1997, the young royals were instructed to walk behind their mother’s casket, joining the funeral procession alongside their father, the then-Prince of Wales, Diana’s brother Earl Spencer, and their grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh. The procession began at St James’s Palace and continued until reaching Westminster Abbey.

Nearly 26 years later, the decision to involve the young princes in the funeral procession remains a subject of controversy. Earl Spencer has previously expressed his view on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, describing it as a “very bizarre and cruel thing” for Diana’s two sons to be asked to walk behind her body. He further suggested that he was “lied to” about the boys’ desire to participate in the procession.

The funeral of Princess Diana was a solemn and emotional event that deeply impacted the royal family, particularly her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. According to reports, Prince Philip, their grandfather, expressed genuine concern for their well-being and initially opposed the idea of them walking in the funeral procession. A former government relations director recounted a conference call where Prince Philip’s voice was heard, anguished over the situation, saying, “It’s about the boys. They’ve lost their mother.”

On the night before the funeral, Prince Philip is said to have approached William and Harry during dinner, offering them a poignant gesture of support, telling them, “I’ll walk if you walk.” This heartfelt statement demonstrated his understanding of the immense grief they were experiencing and his willingness to stand by their side during this difficult time.

While many members of the royal family and British aristocracy have shared their perspectives on the devastating funeral, which was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide, the voices that hold the most significance are those of Diana’s sons, William and Harry. Their personal experiences and emotions surrounding the loss of their mother are the most profound and meaningful.

Here’s everything William and Harry have said about Princess Diana’s funeral.

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, has been candid about the profound impact his mother’s funeral had on his mental health. In 2017, before delving into the details in his memoir “Spare,” he expressed that no child should have been asked to endure what he and his brother went through that day.

Harry recounted the traumatic experience to Newsweek, stating, “My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television. I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today.”

In the Apple TV+ docuseries “The Me You Can’t See,” Harry opened up to Oprah Winfrey in 2021 about the trauma of Diana’s funeral, revealing that he had struggled with “sharing the grief of my mother’s death with the world.” He poignantly recalled, “When my mum was taken away from me at the age of 12, just before my 13th birthday, I didn’t want the life. Sharing the grief of my mother’s death with the world…”

Harry’s candid reflections shed light on the profound emotional toll of losing his mother at a young age and the public scrutiny he faced during the mourning process.

Harry provided an insightful and candid recollection of the profound impact his mother’s death had on him during that pivotal moment. He vividly recalled the sound of the horses’ hooves on the red brick road, a detail that seemed to have etched itself into his memory. Notably, he described feeling disconnected from his emotions, as if he was operating on autopilot, merely fulfilling the expectations placed upon him while suppressing the depth of his grief.

Harry’s words shed light on the internal conflict he experienced, torn between the public outpouring of mourning and his own personal loss. He expressed a sense of detachment, questioning the public’s right to grieve someone they had never met, underscoring the intensely personal nature of his loss.

Furthermore, Harry’s memoir “Spare” revealed additional insights into his emotional state during that time. He claimed that his father’s lack of physical affection and the pressure to maintain a composed public persona made him feel like a “politician.” However, he found solace in the presence of his older brother, William, whose strength provided him with a sense of comfort and support during the devastating procession.

Harry’s candid reflections offer a poignant glimpse into the complex emotions and challenges he faced as a young prince navigating the profound loss of his mother under the intense public scrutiny.

The tragic loss of Princess Diana left an indelible mark on her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, who were just 15 and 12 years old at the time. In a BBC documentary commemorating the 20th anniversary of Diana’s passing, Prince William provided insights into his personal experience during the heartbreaking funeral procession.

Prince William candidly admitted that walking behind his mother’s casket was “one of the hardest things” he had ever done. He revealed that he felt “completely numb” following her death, and his long fringe served as a “safety blanket,” allowing him to conceal his emotions during the “very long, lonely walk” to Westminster Abbey.

While an alternative plan was proposed for only Prince William to walk behind the casket, Prince Harry insisted on accompanying his older brother, unwilling to let him face the heartbreaking moment alone. Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” recounts his objection, stating, “It didn’t seem right that Willy would have such a hard time without me.”

However, Prince William acknowledged that their participation in the service was ultimately a matter of “duty” for the royal family. He explained to the BBC, “It wasn’t an easy decision and it was a sort of collective family decision to do that. There is that balance between duty and family and that’s what we had to do.”

The brothers’ differing perspectives on their mother’s funeral highlight the profound impact of the tragic event on their lives and the unique challenges they faced as members of the royal family during such a deeply personal and public moment.

The balance between Prince William’s public and private roles has been a longstanding challenge, as he poignantly expressed in reference to the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. This tragic event united him and his brother Harry in grief, but over time, their paths have diverged significantly. Harry’s relocation to the United States with his wife Meghan Markle and their children has created both physical and emotional distance between the brothers.

The funeral of Prince Philip in April 2021 marked a reunion for the feuding siblings, as they walked together in the procession behind their grandfather’s casket. However, reports suggest that William requested a family member to separate him and Harry, highlighting the strained relationship. Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, walked between them.

A year later, at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022, the brothers stood side by side once again, evoking memories of their mother’s funeral procession 25 years earlier. Despite their long-running rift, they presented a united front in mourning their grandmother, a poignant reminder of the enduring bond forged by their shared loss and the complexities of navigating public and private roles within the royal family.

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