Princess Diana Resisted One Major Move to Avoid ‘Complications’ for Her ‘Boys’, Former Butler Reveals
Princess Diana's primary concern for a major shuffle in her life was for her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
When the world thinks of Princess Diana today, they don’t exactly remember the press wars or her complicated relationship with the monarchy as much as they remember her lovingly embracing her two sons, or riding on rollercoasters with them, or running in their school race, determined to win. While the beloved People’s Princess may have left an illustrious legacy behind as a royal, her role as a mother is what truly made her indelible in the hearts and minds of people. Diana was so devoted to being a parent that she reportedly even tried to avoid divorce with King Charles for the sake of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Former butler Paul Burrell revealed that she did not want the divorce. “Diana struggled with the divorce,” Burrell said, as per Marie Claire, “She didn’t want it; she wanted to stay in the Royal Family, and for her, her struggle was keeping her boys safe and keeping her position.” However, the divorce eventually happened. After a fairytale wedding and a long, arduous 15-year marriage, Diana and Charles divorced in 1996.
While the split may have shaken the walls of Buckingham Palace, the two most affected people must naturally have been William and Harry. And Diana, who herself reportedly came from a difficult home, didn’t want her two sons growing up in a divided family. “That’s why she resisted the divorce, because she thought that fracture in the family would lead to problems and complications for her boys,” Burrell added.
William and Harry were presumably brought up differently in the royal orbit. One was the heir, and the other, a spare. However, that was not something Diana wanted. Burrell claimed that it was 'difficult' for her to accept that the boys would grow up differently. He further mentioned, “There was no difference between them in her eyes.” Although William was reportedly given more preferential treatment, the mother of two continued to insist that “the boys were always the same”.
In his bombshell memoir, Spare, the Duke of Sussex wrote that there was a disparity between how he and William were treated within the royal fold. “It was a lot easier and plain sailing for William,” Burrell said, “His map was already made, and Harry’s wasn’t. So, it was a complicated relationship, but their childhood was the idyllic part of it.” Growing up, Harry and William were as close as any two siblings would be. However, over the past several years, the bond seems to have soured to the extent that the two brothers share no contact.
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are set to visit the UK in July along with their kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. He is expected to take his family to visit Diana's grave at Althorp. And while speculation suggests that a royal reunion with Charles is on the cards, there are still doubts over whether Harry and William will reconcile or not.
