Princess Diana passed away on Aug. 31, 1997, and the royal is still fondly remembered in the hearts of many.
This year marks 21 years since her death, which saw her leave behind sons Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as a legacy of service and goodwill.
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William and Harry have often spoken about their mother, reflecting on their childhood with her as well as what they think she would be doing now, whether that would be continuing her charity work, bonding with Meghan Markle or relishing her role as grandmother.
Read on for a few sweet sentiments from the late royal’s sons.
On William’s wedding
The Duke of Cambridge shared in the HBO documentary, Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy in 2017 that he looked to his mother’s memory for support on his wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011.
“When it came to the wedding, I did really feel that she was there,” he said. “There are times when you look to someone or something for strength and I very much felt she was there for me.”
On her parenting
In the same documentary, William and Harry recalled growing up with the Princess of Wales.
“Our mother was a total kid through and though. She was one of the naughtiest parents,” Harry said. “She was our mom, she still is our mom you know and of course as a son I would say she is the best mom in the world.”
The Duke of Sussex added that Diana was determined to give her children as much of a normal life as possible.
“My mother cherished those moments of privacy and being able to be that mother rather than the Princess of Wales,” he shared. “She made the decision that no matter what, despite all the difficulties of growing up in that limelight and on that stage, she was going to ensure that both of us had as normal of a life as possible. And if that means taking us for a burger every now and then or sneaking us into the cinema, or driving through the country lanes with the roof down in her old school BMW to listen to Enya I think it was… part of her being a mom.”
On Diana’s tribute concert
In 2007, a tribute concert was held in July on what would have been Diana’s 46th birthday, and her sons shared that they wanted the event to reflect their mother’s nature.
“We want it to represent exactly what our mother would have wanted, how she was and all that sort of thing,” William said of the benefit show in 2006, via CNN. “We wanted to have this big concert with, you know, full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness which I know she would have wanted.
“And on her birthday as well, it’s got to be the best birthday present she ever had. The main purpose is to celebrate and to have fun and to remember her in a fun way.”
On missing mom
In 2009, William became the royal patron of Child Bereavement UK, an organization that was supported by Diana during her life.
“Never being able to say the word ‘Mummy’ again in your life sounds like a small thing. However, for many, including me, it is now really just a word — hollow and evoking only memories,” the Duke of Cambridge said at a Mother’s Day campaign for the organization, via PEOPLE.
He continued, “I can therefore wholeheartedly relate to the Mother’s Day campaign, as I too have felt and still feel the emptiness on such a day as Mother’s Day.”
On her love of life
During a 2007 memorial service marking the tenth anniversary of Diana’s death, Harry reflected on his mother’s spirit and unfaltering love for her children, calling her “the best mother in the world.”
“When she was alive, we completely took for granted her unrivaled love of life, laughter, fun and folly. She was our guardian, friend and protector,” he said. “She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated.”
“She kissed us last thing at night,” he continued. “Her beaming smile greeted us from school. She laughed hysterically and uncontrollably when sharing something silly she might have said or done that day. She encouraged us when we were nervous or unsure.”
“Put simply, she made us, and so many other people, happy. May this be the way that she is remembered.”
On Meghan Markle
When Harry announced his engagement to Meghan Markle, the pair followed their happy news with an interview with the BBC where Harry noted that he wished his mother could have been present.
“It’s days like today that I really I miss having her around and being able to share the happy news, but with the ring, and with everything else going on, I’m sure she’s with us,” he said, referencing Markle’s engagement ring, which features two stones from Diana’s collection.
He also shared that he thinks his mother would approve of his now-wife.
“Oh, they’d be thick as thieves, without question,” the Duke of Sussex said. “I think she’d be over the moon, jumping up and down, you know, so excited for me—but then, as I said, would have probably been best friends with Meghan.”
On Diana as a grandmother
William is now father to three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — and joked to HBO that he thinks Diana would have been “a nightmare grandma.”
“She’d be a nightmare grandma, absolute nightmare,” he said. “She’d love the children to bits, but she be an absolute nightmare. She’d come and go, she’d probably come at bath time cause an amazing amount of sea and bubbles and bathwater all over the place and then leave.”
The Duke of Cambridge added that he keeps his mother’s memory alive by sharing stories of her with his own children.
“We’ve got more photos up around the house now of her,” he said. “I do regularly bring George and Charlotte to bed and talk about her. Just try to remind them there are two grandmas, were two grandmas in their lives and it’s important they know who she was and she existed.”
On continuing her legacy
In 2016, Harry told PEOPLE that he hopes to make his mother “incredibly proud” with the work that he is doing and that “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
“I know I’ve got a lot of my mother in me,” the royal added. “I am doing a lot of things that she would probably do.”
Harry continued, “When she died, there was a gaping hole, not just for us but also for a huge amount of people across the world. If I can try and fill a very small part of that, then job done. I will have to, in a good way, spend the rest of my life trying to fill that void as much as possible. And so will William.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Julian Parker
