London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 08, 2025

William and Harry to mark Diana anniversary in private, apart

William and Harry to mark Diana anniversary in private, apart

Princes William and Harry will on Wednesday mark the 25th anniversary of the death of their mother Princess Diana, in private but apart as a feud between the brothers shows no sign of ending.

The former Lady Diana Spencer, whose fairytale marriage to Prince Charles captivated the world until it publicly unravelled with infidelity and divorce, died in a car crash on August 31, 1997.

Five years ago, her sons attended a series of public commemorations of her life, and spoke of the enduring effect of her death on them.

This year the brothers will not take part in any official commemorations, preferring instead to mark the occasion in private with their own families.

William, 40, recently announced a move from London to the Windsor estate west of London with his wife, Catherine, and their three young children.

Harry, 37, now lives in California with his wife, Meghan, and their two children, after the couple quit the royal family in early 2020.

The Daily Telegraph said on Saturday that the brothers had "agreed to draw a line under their public commemorations" at the 20th anniversary.

Spokespeople for both couples confirmed they would spend the day privately.

Diana's shock death aged just 36 saw a sea of floral tributes laid at the gates of her former London home, Kensington Palace.

Well-wishers are again expected to lay flowers at the palace, and near the entrance to the Paris road tunnel where the high-speed crash happened.

 Legacy


Diana remains widely revered as a fashion icon and for having cut through stuffy royal convention, particularly after her very public divorce.

She was also praised for charity work highlighting the scourge of landmines and encouraging a change in attitudes to people with HIV/AIDS.

In a sign of the enduring fascination with the royal, last weekend a sporty Ford Escort she once owned was sold for pound sterling737,000 ($864,000) at auction.

Her marital troubles will also feature in the latest series of the hit Netflix drama "The Crown" later this year.

Joe Little, managing editor at Majesty Magazine, said Diana had influenced her sons to be less formal than traditional royals.

"They are much more 'touchy feely' than they ever would have been," he said, pointing to William's hugs for England's women footballers after their Euro 2022 victory this month.

"William can see there is no need for much of the formality in royal life that existed when his father was of a similar age, the institution of the monarchy functions well without all that starchiness," he added.

Last week Harry, who has admitted to mental health struggles because of his mother's death, said he would "share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wished could have met her".

"Every day I hope to do her proud," he told a fundraising dinner in the United States last week for his Sentebale charity, which supports young people with HIV.

"I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for the way she did it," he added.

 Rift


William and Harry were just 15 and 12 when Diana died and provided the enduring image of her funeral, walking heads bowed behind her coffin.

Last year the brothers unveiled a statue of her at Kensington Palace on what would have been her 60th birthday.

They said they remembered "her love, strength and character -- qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better".

But a rift -- said to date back to soon after Harry began dating Meghan -- was barely concealed.

The pair were seen together briefly at the April 2021 funeral of their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip.

They were apart too at the recent public celebrations marking the queen's 70 years on the throne.

William has angrily hit back at claims in a television interview from the couple of racism in the royal family.

Harry, who is expected to make more revelations in an upcoming memoir, has also said William and their father were trapped in a hidebound institution.

The couple are due at a series of charity events in Britain next week, staying near William and Kate on the sprawling Windsor estate.

There are reportedly no plans for the brothers to meet, nor for Harry to visit his ailing 96-year-old grandmother at her Balmoral retreat in Scotland.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×