She wanted to make sure that her sons knew the importance of giving back.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 24, 2021. It has since been updated.
Princess Diana made sure her children led a humble life, despite being born into one of the richest families in the world. As members of the British Royal family, it was only natural for Prince William and Prince Harry to have a luxurious and lavish childhood. However, the luxury of not having to worry about the excesses did not deter the Princess of Wales to exercise control and put some restrictions in place.
It was perhaps of these qualities that she, as a mother, experienced a lot of firsts while being a member of the royal family. According to E! Online, she was the first royal member to breastfeed. She also gave birth to her first son William in a hospital, making him the first heir to the throne born outside palace walls.
Prince William is also reportedly the first heir to attend public school. Patrick Jephson, Princess Diana's chief of staff, once said the late Princess tried giving her son a normal life.
According to Express, her mission to raise her kids to be humble men became especially obvious over the festive period as Diana was determined to teach William and Harry about the less fortunate and give back to charity. But, despite that, they were showered with a lot of love and attention in the form of monetary gifts, and Diana tried her absolute best to make sure it didn't affect her kids and spoil them.
Ken Wharfe, Diana's former bodyguard, revealed that during the holiday season, the young princes would receive a mountain of gifts, most of them from unknown sources. Sure, they could have kept it all to themselves; after all, who was going to question them? But, Diana would force her sons to donate some of their gifts to charity, so that people less fortunate also had a shot at having a merry Christmas.
“Diana was very careful to ensure that they weren't flooded with gifts — gifts did appear from unknown sources, and they were often returned or given to charity because they didn't need them," Wharfe told Ok! Magazine, states Express.
She was also careful when it came to choosing gifts for William and Harry and made it a point to not get them anything extravagant. “She was very conscious about what she bought as she knew the hallway at Sandringham would be full of presents.”
“Diana was always a very hands-on parent, so there were no places that were barred," continued Wharfe. She made sure that her children learned how to treat everyone equally from a very young age. "She was very insistent that her children were seen to be in conversation with all staff. Diana often said that the staff were all part of a wider family and at Sandringham it was the same."
Honestly, it would have been very easy for Prince William and Prince Harry to grow up to be spoilt snobs, had it not been for Princess Diana and her thoughtful parenting. The two of them must be thanking her, despite not being among them, for shaping them into who they are today.
References:
https://www.etonline.com/how-princess-diana-was-a-parenting-role-model-for-prince-harry-123120
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Princess Diana Archive / Stringer
