Both Prince Harry and Prince William will participate in an awards ceremony in central London in tribute to their late mother, Princess Diana of Wales – but they won’t be in the same room.
Tonight marks the 25th anniversary of the charity, The Diana Legacy Awards, which was set up to “foster, develop and insure positive change” in the lives of young people – a cause which the late Princess was passionate about.
Prince William is set to deliver a short speech at the Science Museum this evening, but the Duke of Sussex will not be physically present. He will meet the award winners virtually after the ceremony when he speaks to them from his home in Montecito, California.
Both brothers have long championed the event which is the only charity that bears their late mother’s name.
The Diana Legacy Awards, founded in 2017, celebrate the achievements of 20 young leaders between nine and 25. The original Diana Award was founded in 1999.
Kensington Palace has confirmed Prince William will meet staff and supporters tonight before joining the ceremony, during which he will make a speech and present the awards.
Afterward, he will meet winners who represent countries such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Oman, Pakistan, Romania, the UAE, UK and USA.
A spokesperson for The Diana Award told the Telegraph: “The Duke of Sussex will be a key part of our Legacy Award celebration, which takes place over the course of this week.
“He is scheduled to speak with the award recipients, virtually, on the evening of the awards to celebrate their accomplishments.”
Despite stepping down as a working royal in 2020, the Duke of Sussex recorded a video message to open the ceremony in 2022.
In it, he stated his mother had instilled in him a drive to speak up and fight for a better world.
In 2021, the event was held virtually because of limitations during the coronavirus pandemic and Harry recorded an address in which he praised his late mother for “living by truth and service to others”.
The last official joint engagement carried out by the two brothers was the unveiling of their mother’s statue at Kensington Palace in July 2021.
In September 2020, Prince William and Harry were joined by Princess Kate and Meghan to view flowers left in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.
