“If I’d known that was the last time I was going to speak to my mother, the things I would have said to her”
Today marks 25 years since Princess Diana died tragically in a car crash in Paris, with the anniversary prompting documentaries made in her memory and shops bringing back iconic fashion looks that she championed back in the day.
While Princes William and Harry are expected to mark the day privately, their past words about their mother have once again resurfaced, with the brothers speaking about Princess Diana previously in a one-off ITV documentary about her life.
The documentary saw the brothers (pre-fallout) go through their personal photo albums, sharing memories and opening up about their last conversation with their mother.
The princes, only 15 and 12 at the time of her death, explained how they were at Balmoral with their extended family when they received a phone call from Princess Diana in Paris. They went on to talk about their regret at hurrying to get off the phone, not knowing it would be their last conversation.
“At the time Harry and I were running around minding our own business, you know, playing with our cousins and having a very good time” explained Prince William. “I think Harry and I were just in a desperate rush to say goodbye, you know, see you later and we’re going to go off.”
He continued: “If I’d known now obviously what was going to happen I wouldn’t have been so blasé about it and everything else. But that phone call sticks in my mind quite, quite heavily.”
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“As a kid I never enjoyed speaking to my parents on the phone,” Prince Harry added. “And we spent far too much time speaking on the phone rather than speaking to each other, because of just the way the situation was.”
Prince William has previously spoken about the final phone call with The Telegraph. “I can’t really necessarily remember what I said, but all I do remember is probably, you know, regretting for the rest of my life how short the phone call was,” he explained.
He continued: “And if I’d known that that was the last time I was going to speak to my mother the things I would have said to her.” He added: “Looking back on it now, it’s incredibly hard. I have to sort of deal with that for the rest of my life.”
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“We won’t be doing this again,” Prince William explained at the documentary screening at Kensington Palace at the time. “We won’t speak as openly and publicly about her again, because we feel that hopefully this film will provide the other side: from her closest family and friends, that you might not have heard before, from those who knew her best, and those who want to protect her memory and want to remind people of the person she was.”
He continued: “Harry and I feel very strongly that we want to celebrate her life, and this is a tribute from her sons to her.”
The two princes are expected to mark the 25th anniversary of her death privately.