Princess Diana 'Willingly Gave Up' Harry and William to the Royal Family, Claims Former Butler
With the royal family set to celebrate a grand summer in Balmoral and Norfolk this season, the late Princess Diana's former butler has opened up about how things were different for Prince William and Prince Harry growing up. With their parents headed for a divorce, the two brothers had to spend time separately with their mother and father, King Charles. Paul Burrell, who served Diana loyally for years, claims he saw the Princess drift away from her own children, ‘willingly’ giving them up to the royal family, spending much less time with them.
Since her separation from Charles in 1992 till her death in 1997, Diana was able to spend only two weeks a year with William and Harry. According to Marie Claire, Burrell, who worked for Diana for almost a decade before her tragic death, revealed, “She said it's important for them to grow up with her cousins, with the royal family at Balmoral.” The late Princess felt it was important for William, especially, to be with his father, given his destiny as the future heir. The butler explained, “Summer was fun for her, but she realized that the rest of the year and the time away from boarding school, they would be with their father and their friends. She realized that they were growing up and they had to be integrated into the royal family because William one day will be King and Harry will be there to support him.” Burrel stressed, “She willingly gave them up.” However, he added, “She missed them.”
Diana was not left with many options as being with her children meant being around Charles, which made other royals uncomfortable or being at Kensington Palace. So, she took them away on holidays with their usual destination being a place with beaches. In the summer before her death, the late Princess vacationed in the Mediterranean with her two boys. Burrell recounted, “The last summer of [Diana's] life, they'd been to the Mediterranean, and they played on jet skis, and they'd had fun. Then she brought them back home so that they could go to Balmoral. That's why they were at Balmoral at the time of the Princess’s death, because they'd had the two weeks with Diana in the summer.” Necker Island and other remote places were Diana's choice of destinations as she hoped for privacy from the press. Burrell hailed the late Princess as a ‘devoted mother,’ but claimed that in her last years, she was physically losing her kids to society and the royal family.
Diana’s passing was the most difficult thing William and Harry had to cope with as children. The two today often fondly remember their mother in interviews and continue to live by her principles. Most importantly, they ensure to spend as much time as possible with their respective families, especially their children. According to Harper’s Bazaar, William in the ITV docuseries, We Can End Homelessness, once shared how his mother inspired him to do charity work. As a result, he became a patron of some of her cherished organizations, such as those that work toward ending homelessness.