Harry: After Diana's Death, Charles 'Was There for Us'

He and William recall first days after their mother's death
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 23, 2017 11:10 AM CDT
Harry, William Remember First Days After Diana's Death
Britain's Prince William, left, and Prince Harry.   (Philippe Huguen)

Princes William and Harry have spoken candidly about the death of their mother, Princess Diana, in an interview marking 20 years since she was killed in a car crash in Paris. Here are excerpts of the BBC interviews released Wednesday ahead of Diana, 7 Days, which chronicles the week following their mother's death, via the AP and the Guardian:

  • On Prince Charles: "One of the hardest things for a parent to have to do is to tell your children that your other parent has died," said Harry. "How you deal with that I don't know, but, you know, he was there for us."

  • Paparazzi: "One of the hardest things to come to terms with is the people who chased her into the tunnel were the same people who were taking photographs of her while she was still dying on the back seat of the car," said Harry. "Those people [who] caused the accident instead of helping were taking photographs of her dying on the back seat."
  • Bangs helped: "I just remember hiding behind my fringe [of hair] basically, at a time when I had a lot of hair, and my head's down a lot—so I'm hiding behind my fringe," William said of his 15-year-old self. "It was kind of like a tiny bit of safety blanket if you like. I know it sounds ridiculous, but at the time I felt if I looked at the floor and my hair came down over my face, no one could see me."
  • Queen's protection: "At the time, you know, my grandmother wanted to protect her two grandsons, and my father as well," said William. "Our grandmother deliberately removed the newspapers, and things like that, so there was nothing in the house at all. So we didn't know what was going on."
  • On walking behind the casket: "I just kept thinking about what she would want and that she'd be proud of Harry and I being able to go through it, effectively she was there with us, it felt like she was almost walking along beside us, to get us through it," said William.
The documentary airs Sunday in Britain on BBC1 and premieres in the US on Sept. 1 on NBC, per Vogue. (More royal family stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X