Summary
- Prince Harry believed for 11 years that Princess Diana faked her own death, seeking photographic evidence to confirm her passing.
- Harry regrets his final conversation with his mom before her death, as he was eager to hang up and play outside.
- Diana's legacy lives on through her sons, as she encouraged them to speak up against injustice and inspired their work.
Back in August 1997, the world went into mourning for a real-life princess gone too soon. Princess Diana touched countless lives before her passing. She was tragically killed in a car accident at the age of 37 while in France and the news came as a shock to many.
Even though the world was mourning, Diana had left her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry behind when they were just young boys, having to face the reality of having to grow up and live the rest of their lives without their mom. Prince Harry later stated he had a lot of regrets that came to light after his mom's death, including their last conversation.
What Did Harry Say About Diana's Death?
One main thing that has come to light recently surrounding Prince Harry's feelings on his mother's death is that there was a period of about 11 years after she died where Harry believed that she wasn't really dead and that he thought Diana had actually faked her own death.
He mentioned all this in his book Spare and also revealed in the book that he went on to seek photographic evidence that his mom had died in that car because he had spent quite a long time holding onto the hope that she would one day ring him and tell him that everything was alright.
Prince Harry Regrets His Final Conversation With Princess Diana
Harry was only 12 years old when his mom died and at that age, all kids tend to say or do stuff to their parents that they may later end up regretting. But where those people can then later apologize to their parents, Harry wasn't able to do that.
During a documentary called Diana, Our Mother, which aired in 2017 to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of Princess Diana's death, Princes William and Harry spoke in-depth about their mom and what she meant to them.
It was in this documentary that Prince Harry revealed the final conversation that he had with his mom and the regrets he had surrounding it.
Harry recalled Diana calling him while she was away, but as a young boy on his summer holidays, all he wanted to do was go outside and play and not be stuck inside on a phone call to his mom. This is where the regret comes in.
Diana's death was one that was sudden and that no one could possibly predict would happen. Harry was used to spending time with both of his parents, so quickly getting off the phone with his mom wouldn't have seemed like a big deal at the time because he was under the impression he would see her when she was back from her trip.
He went on to say that he doesn't remember exactly what was said between them, but what he mostly remembers was how desperate he was to get off the phone with his mom so that he could go back outside and play.
Like many who suddenly lose a loved one, Harry said that had he known that would be the last conversation he would have with her, he would have said many things to her. While he never divulged what those 'things' were, that is clearly something private for him and his mom.
Harry's relationship with his dad has been somewhat strained in recent years, but Harry has praised his dad for how he handled both himself and his brother in the wake of Diana's death.
In the documentary Diana: 7 Days, Harry recognized that his dad had "tried his best" to step up as an only parent to two young boys, despite also going through "the same grieving process."
This is in contrast to Harry previously admitting to feeling like he was being used by his dad for photo ops to save face after his parent's divorce and Charles' relationship with Camilla.
Princess Diana's Legacy Lives On Thanks To Her Sons
Princess Diana was someone who had quite the impact on not just the people around her, but also on people from all over the world. This is something that Prince Harry has spoken about quite a few times since her passing.
Prince Harry has said that Diana's legacy includes encouraging him to speak up against people who hurt him and others. Diana was known for doing this and for wanting to fight many injustices in the world and this is something that both Prince Harry and Prince William have been shown to have been doing in their work.
Harry has also previously said that it was witnessing what happened to Diana and all the press surrounding her in the lead-up to her death that contributed to his and Meghan's decision to leave the Royal Family, due to not wanting history to repeat itself.
