20 Precious Photos That Prove Princess Diana’s Commitment to Motherhood Over Royalty

Breaking Birthing Tradition

Princess Diana famously broke royal tradition when she gave birth to Prince William (photographed) in a hospital rather than at home. Prince Harry was then born in the same hospital — St. Mary’s in London — as were Prince William’s three kids. Props to her for not letting centuries of tradition stand in the way of the birth plan she imagined

Traveling Together

Breaking tradition once again, Princess Diana brought a 9-month-old Prince William with her and then-Prince Charles on their tour of Australia and New Zealand. Normally, the baby would have stayed in London with a nanny for six weeks. Princess Diana was not having that, though. She was not going to miss that much time with her baby.

She Wasn’t Afraid To Speak Out

It’s unsurprising that Princess Diana wasn’t afraid to talk about topics surrounded by stigma such as being “hit hard” with postpartum depression after William was born.

“I was unwell with postnatal depression, which no one ever discusses … you have to read about it afterwards, and that in itself was a bit of a difficult time. You’d wake up in the morning feeling you didn’t want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood, and just very, very low in yourself,” she said in her 1995 Panorama interview.

Her daughters-in-law have followed in her footsteps, with Markle speaking openly about her struggles with prenatal depression and Middleton (alongside her husband) working to nurture children’s mental health.

Standing Up To The Press

First, we have to take a moment to appreciate how epic this shot is of Princess Diana and her young sons on a ski lift. Next, we have to tip our hats to Diana, who famously stood up to the paparazzi when they hounded her family on vacations. In the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, there is a clip where Diana pleads with the press to let the boys enjoy their time like normal kids.

“As a parent, could I ask you to respect my children’s space? … As a parent, I want to protect the children,” she said to the incessant cameraman. 

Great Parenting Instincts

In a famous clip from 1986, Princess Di plays with her boys at a playground and has the perfect parenting technique for when Prince William refuses to leave. To avoid a tantrum, she breezily says, “Alright, Harry will have all the fun then,” and turns on her heel with her red-headed son on her hip. Prince William — immediately feeling some FOMO — sprinted toward his mom and little brother.

Carrying It All

Being the bad a** that she was, Princess Diana could easily carry the weight of the commonwealth and the weight of a young Prince Harry on her shoulders. Never doubt the strength of a mom!

Water Park Adventures

While other royals probably clutched their pearls when they heard of Prince William and Prince Harry’s visit to Thorpe Park Amusement Park, Princess Diana threw her pearls to the wind and got right onto the water coaster with them! She was known for doing her best to give her boys as “normal” a life as possible.

A Child At Heart

And yes, she really rode those rides with her boys. This must be a core memory for Prince Harry of his day at Thorpe Park. In Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, Harry described his mom as a “total kid through and through.”

“When everybody says to me ‘so she was fun, give us an example’, all I can hear is her laugh in my head.”

Fun In The Sand

The former Princess of Wales had no problem letting her sons and their friends bury her in the sand when on vacation on Necker Island.

Insisting On Education

Princess Diana made another unprecedented move when she insisted her sons go to school and not just be taught within the palace walls. In this photo from Sept. 1995, Prince William’s family watched as he followed Eton’s tradition and signed a book before starting the school year.

On Prince William’s first day of preschool, she reportedly said, “I was [a little sad] because it’s opening another chapter in my life and certainly William’s. But he’s ready for it. He’s a very independent child.”

Preparing For Back To School

Just like any students, Prince William and Prince Harry would have major back-to-school scaries before the start of the school year. Prince William revealed in 2021 that his mom would play music on the drive to boarding school to “kind of while away the anxiety.”

One song that has stuck with him — and that he “secretly” still enjoys — is Tina Turner’s “The Best” which they would sing from the backseat. 

“It felt like a real family moment,” he recalled. “And my mother, she’d be driving along, singing at the top of her voice. And we’d even get the policeman in the car, he’d be occasionally singing along, as well.”

It wasn’t until they entered the school gates that he would remember the destination. “Before that, you’re lost in songs. You’ll want to play it again just to keep that family moment going.”

“When I listen to it now, it takes me back to those car rides and brings back lots of memories of my mother,” he continued.

She Was Super Involved

Speaking of school, Princess Diana was incredibly involved given her royal status. There she is in 1989 running barefoot (and in a skirt!) across a field for the “Mother’s Race” — part of Prince William’s annual school sports day events.

Endlessly Appreciative

Princess Diana was always grateful for the fact that she had happy and healthy children. Especially given how often she saw struggling families in her philanthropic work. She famously hugged a child with AIDS at the height of the pandemic, signaling to the rest of the world that the disease could not be contracted through touch (despite what many people feared).

“I’ve got two very healthy strong boys, and it’s not always the case with the families I’m meeting … and I realize how incredibly lucky I am,” she said per Business Insider.

She Indulged In Their Interests

Princess Diana was known for — when possible — treating her kids like any other kid (and dressing them like regular kids; is that Mickey Mouse we see on Prince William’s shirt?!) So much so, that she would even take them to fast food joints.

Former royal chef Darren McGrady told Marie Claire that Diana used to take the boys to McDonald’s. “I remember the princess came into the kitchen one day and said, ‘Cancel lunch for the boys, I’m taking them [to McDonald’s],'” McGrady said. “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.'”

Giving Them Wings

Princess Diana left her sons a hefty inheritance of $12.5 million (£10 million) on their 30th birthdays along with valuable personal assets, per The Telegraph.

This money gave them more than just a lavish lifestyle. It gave Prince Harry freedom.

In his and Markle’s infamous interview with Oprah in 2021, Harry said his family would have been unable to move from the UK to California without that inheritance. 

“I think she saw it coming,” he said, “and I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process.”

She Was OK With Mischief

According to the Duke of Sussex, his mother was OK with a little mischief. “You can be as naughty as you want,” she would tell Harry. “Just don’t get caught.” And with the look she’s giving Prince William here, we’d like to imagine the late Princess of Wales was telling him the same thing.

A Philanthropic Focus

Diana made sure her boys spent plenty of time involved in charitable causes. She took them to homeless shelters and private charity visits. According to biographer Andrew Morton, she “didn’t want the boys to grow up thinking the whole world was 4×4 Range Rovers, shotguns, and nannies.”

Or, we presume, vacations to Spain (photographed).

“I want my boys to have an understanding of people’s emotions, their insecurities, people’s distress, and their hopes and dreams,” the former royal said.

In an early aughts interview, Prince William called his visits to homeless shelters with his mother a “real eye-opener.” “I am very glad she [took me],” he said. “It has been something I have held close to me for a long time.”

She Gave The Best Hugs

Princess Diana was not afraid of PDA with her boys, and Prince Harry said in Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy that he missed that feeling.

“She would just engulf you and squeeze you as tight as possible and being as short as I was then, there was no escape, you were there for as long as she wanted to hold you,” he said. “Even talking about it now, I can feel the hugs that she used to give us.”

And It Was Intentional

Diana was open about why those hugs were so important to her, and had some pretty poignant things to say about physical touch:

“I hug my children to death and get into bed with them at night. I always feed them love and affection; it’s so important,” she once said, per Newsweek.

“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s,” per People.

“Hugs can do great amounts of good, especially for children,” per Huff Post.

Committed Co-Parent

Princess Diana and King Charles III did their best to co-parent their kids amicably. They decided to share equal custody of their sons. Thoughtfully and tactfully, she was sure to visit her sons at school and tell them about her and their father’s split before it hit the news.