Prince William and Prince Harry Honor Their Mom Princess Diana in Rare Shared Moment

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• Prince William and Prince Harry both honored young people receiving the Diana Award, sending separate letters of congratulations
• Almost 200 young people, including 23 from the United States, were honored on Nov. 4
• The Diana Award is the only charity established in memory of their late mother, Princess Diana, and the only one they both support amid their ongoing rift

Prince William and Prince Harry wrote special letters of congratulations to those being honored by the charity set up in their late mother’s name.

The gesture underscores the ongoing commitment both the Prince of Wales, 44, and the Duke of Sussex, 42, have to the Diana Award and the young people around the world it supports. The organization is the only charity that carries the name of their mother, Princess Diana, and the only one backed by both brothers.

But while they remain united in their support for their mother’s legacy, their personal rift continues. The estranged brothers sent separate letters to each of the 198 winners from 44 countries recognized for their commitment to creating “positive change in their communities and beyond,” the charity said.

There are 23 from the United States, one of the largest groupings of young people from the states since the awards went international, on the roll of honor. India has 49, and Nigeria has 25 young people included.

Nine countries are represented for the first time, including Ukraine and Mongolia, reflecting the increasingly diverse and international reach of young people’s social action, the charity says. Ukraine is somewhere that Harry has visited several times as he highlights the work being done for veterans and the plight of those caught up in the horror of the war there.

Next year will be the 30^th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, following a car crash in Paris, France.

Dr. Tessy Ojo CBE, Chief Executive, The Diana Award, expressed her pride in celebrating “young people from across the world receiving the Diana Award this year” in a statement as the honors were being announced.

“Their courage, compassion and determination to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges are a powerful reminder that young people are the change makers of today,” she added.“These young people are proof that, whatever their background or circumstances, the desire to make a difference is universal,” she continued. “They are building on Diana, Princess of Wales’ legacy almost 30 years on.”   

King Charles’ sons’ last joint engagement was the unveiling of a statue honoring their late mother at Kensington Palace in July 2021, timed to what would have been her 60th birthday. In the years since, they have had limited interactions despite being at the same events such as Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and King Charles’ coronation. They also kept their distance and avoided speaking to each other at the memorial service for their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, in August 2024.

The brothers are now back in the same country, after Prince Harry and his family moved back to Britain after spending six years in California, but are not believed to be in contact.

Despite their estrangement, both Prince William and Prince Harry have carried on their mother’s legacy through the causes they champion.

For William, that has meant backing the campaign to help the unhoused and developing that into a broad, practical bid to find new solutions to tackle the issue.  

Meanwhile, Harry has championed young people of southern Africa, especially amid the HIV and AIDS epidemic. He has also adopted the landmine clearance organization Halo Trust, for which Diana made an iconic walk through a minefield in Angola in the year that she died.

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As the milestone anniversary of the Princess’s death approaches, the royal brothers’ uncle and Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, has released a best-selling memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, about her. In addition, Prince Harry is exploring making a documentary.

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