Though Princess Diana is no longer with us, her sons have found ways to make sure she stays alive in their and the world's - memories.
She was the People's Princess and a humanitarian, but before all that, Princess Diana was a mother - a dearly loved mother by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
At the time, Prince William was only 15 years old while Prince Harry was 12. Having to deal with the loss of their mother was a huge burden they had to shoulder.
"I remember just feeling completely numb, disorientated, dizzy," Prince William said in the BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days That Shook the World, reported the Insider. "You feel very, very confused. And you keep asking yourself, 'Why me?' All the time, 'Why? What have I done? Why? Why has this happened to us?'"
According to the Reader's Digest, the boys opened up some more in the documentary, Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy. Prince William said, “She was very informal and really enjoyed the laughter and the fun. She understood that there was a real life outside of palace walls.”
Prince Harry too had his own fond memories of her, “She was our mum. She still is our mum. And of course, as a son I would say this, she was the best mum in the world. She smothered us with love, that’s for sure.”
Here are 8 things they did to keep Princess Diana alive in their hearts and mind:
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle with a ring that contained diamonds from Princess Diana's collection. According to Lifestyle, the two side diamonds may have come from Princess Diana's brooch.
During their wedding, Meghan Markle held a bouquet of flowers. It included forget-me-nots which were actually Princess Diana's favorite flower. In fact, Prince Harry picked those flowers himself from a private garden at Kensington Palace as a way to honor his mother on his wedding day. "The couple specifically chose them to be included in Ms. Markle's bouquet to honor the memory of the late Princess on this special day," said a statement from Kensington Palace according to Town & Country.
Prince Harry was "keen to involve his mother's family in his wedding," according to a statement from Kensington Palace. Lady Jane Fellowes, Princess Diana's older sister, gave a reading at their wedding ceremony. Additionally, all of Princess Diana's siblings were invited.
Wanting to pay tribute to his mother, he proposed to Kate Middleton with the same ring that Prince Charles had proposed to Princess Diana with. The ring is a 12-carat sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds. The ring cost $38,000 when Princess Diana picked it out, according to The Daily Mail.
Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer was sung at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. But what's special about it is that it was the song that was played at Princess Diana's funeral.
The Duke and Duchess recreated an iconic photo of Princess Diana sitting in front of the famous Indian Monument.
The royal couple named their daughter "Charlotte Elizabeth Diana." Additionally, they also asked Princess Diana's friends and relatives to be godparents to the royal children.
With both of them keeping their mother's charity work going, they also haven't stopped raising awareness about other topics that she spoke about such as homelessness, HIV, and mental health.
References:
https://www.insider.com/diana-death-william-harry-tributes-2018-8