Prince Harry has spoken about his mother Princess Diana a number of times over the years, with her tragic 1997 death having had a massive impact on him. While her death may have been a long time ago now, the prince, now 40, is believed to still think of his mother fondly, and will likely do so in particular tomorrow – on what would have been her 64th birthday.
As well as sharing a number of sweet stories and memories of his mother over the years, Harry has also not avoided talking about some darker times, including the hours following her death. In his bombshell memoir Spare, first published in 2023, the Duke of Sussex – who quit royal life in 2020 – even recalled the heartbreaking moment he found out Diana had died in a car crash in Paris. Writing in Spare, Harry confirmed that the news was told to him by his father King Charles, who at the time was the Prince of Wales.
Charles, who divorced Diana a year prior to her death, told the prince and his brother William about the car crash the morning after it happened.
Harry wrote in Spare: “I remember waiting patiently for Pa to confirm that indeed Mummy was all right. And I remember him not doing that.”
The prince then said his father confirmed that Diana had not survived her injuries and did not “make it”. Harry wrote: “These phrases remain in my mind like darts in a board.
“He did say it that way, I know that much for sure. She didn’t make it. And then everything seemed to come to a stop.”
Harry continued: “What I do remember with stunning clarity is that I did not cry. Not a tear. My father did not hug me.”
The prince, who was 12 at the time of Diana’s death, also wrote in his memoir that he had rushed his mother off the phone just hours before her death as he was playing games with his brother Prince William and their cousins.
The young prince had been at Balmoral Castle in Scotland with the rest of the Royal Family for the summer holidays.
It is not known how Harry will spend his late mother’s birthday tomorrow.
