Princess Diana wasn’t known as “The People’s Princess” because it was a nice nickname for her.
No, through her charitable work and warmth, she became an important person for the British to lean on and be inspired by in tough times. As she famously said, she didn’t wish to be the Queen on paper but rather the Queen in people’s hearts.
The tragic accident in Paris that caused her death is one of the most shocking events in modern British history. Yet still to this day, Princess Diana’s legacy lives on, not only through her sons William and Harry, but most importantly, in people’s hearts.
We’ve seen plenty of amazing photos of Diana over the years – but other pictures haven’t been nearly so widely circulated.
That doesn’t make them any less amazing, though …
Princess Diana died too young, and all trials and tribulations complicated her life. Sadly, she was followed everywhere and endured a troubled private life once she joined the royal family.
Princess Diana – raising Harry and William.
Despite it all, though, Diana was a loving mother. She always made sure to put William and Harry first – the mother-of-two wanted her children to have a childhood that was as normal as possible.
Princess Diana often took William and Harry to theme parks and other fun venues. Of course, she knew what royal life entailed, including the fact that they had meals served to them at all times and were expected to behave like proper royal children.
Yet she was also aware of the importance of William and Harry getting the chance to be like any other child. With this in mind, she would sneak them out of the palace to get fast food.
“I remember the princess came into the kitchen one day and said, ‘Cancel lunch for the boys, I’m taking them out, we’re going to McDonald’s,” Diana’s former personal chef Darren McGrady told Marie Claire.
“And I said, ‘Oh my God – your Royal Highness, I can do that, I can do burgers.’ And she said, ‘No, it’s the toy they want.’”
William and Harry naturally loved spending time with their mother. She raised them to feel like they were like any other children, which they were in many ways!
Diana always endeavored to be the best mom possible and knew that brothers could and would fight with one another from time to time.
She wanted her sons always to be best friends
Royal historian Robert Lacey once revealed details about Harry and William’s childhood and how their mother wanted the two brothers to make her a significant promise.
In his book Battle of Brothers, Lacey writes about the bond William and Harry developed through their early childhood and teenage years. Princess Diana was keen on them remaining close throughout their lives – she wanted the boys to promise they’d always remain “best friends.”
In the book, Lacey quotes psychic Simone Simmons, who used to consult Diana.
“You must promise me that you will always be each other’s best friends,” Simmons claimed Diana told her sons. “And never let anyone come between you.”
“Both boys promised they would keep to that,” Simmons recalled. “They high-fived each other and gave their mother a big cuddle.
“‘Anybody would have melted at sight,” she said. “Then they went out to play soccer.”
From the beginning, it was clear that royal life wasn’t the end of the world for Diana. Her children always took priority, and she wanted to protect them from whatever might come between them.
That even included the Royal Family itself – Diana was reportedly worried that the Queen and Charles were plotting to separate her from her children.