Rare Photographs Of Princess Diana Show Her Unique Approach To Royal Motherhood

Sep 21, 2022 by apost team

Princess Diana was one of the most prominent figures of the royal family due to her class, glamor and kind heart. She was known for her impeccable sense of fashion, her charitable ways, and her overall friendliness and charming personality with everyone around her. Loved by many, Diana was easily a topic of conversation and the center of attention wherever she went.

Born into the British nobility, she grew up close to the royal family and later married into it when she married King Charles III in 1981, thus making her the Princess of Wales. The general public had a fondness for the new princess and took to her liking pretty well. Together, Diana and Charles had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. However, the couple's marriage was full of problems, leading to a separation in 1992 and a divorce in 1996. Diana died on Aug. 31, 1997, from the injuries she sustained in a car crash in a tunnel in Paris, France.

Although Princess Diana tragically passed away, her legacy has lived on over the 25 years since her passing. Known as an icon for her fashion, poise and motherhood — Princess Diana was a one-of-a-kind royal family member. She wanted to be known for more than the glitz and glamor that came with her public outings and role, and instead for being an outstanding mother. 

Rather than giving her children to nannies to be bathed and taken to school, Princess Diana was adamant about being a present mother in Prince William and Prince Harry's lives.

Little Diana Frances Spencer was born to a family with 500 years of nobility. Her upbringing was posh, but it wasn't always happy.

It was revealed in a book that her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, left her father, John Spencer, then Viscount Althorp, for another man. Her mother had been 18 at the time of her marriage to the viscount, who was 12 years her senior. According to comments made by friends and family, the marriage had left Diana's mother deeply unhappy.

One of the things Kydd struggled with was the pressure to produce a male heir, which was still considered an important detail at the time. After the death of her firstborn son and the birth of two daughters, the Spencer family even convinced her to visit a gynecologist "to see why she produced only healthy girls." This pressure and these doctor visits were what eventually eroded the marriage. 

Despite this tragedy, the earlier images of Princess Diana showcased the humanity of the girl who would become the "People's Princess" later in her life. Viscount Spencer retained custody over his children and raised Diana and her siblings in their countryside home.

Diana was born into an aristocratic family, and the late Queen Elizabeth even attended her parents' wedding. After her parents divorced, she was left to live mostly with her father, though it was reported that he apparently left her in the care of nannies and boarding schools. 

Early in her childhood, she and her family lived in a rented property on the queen's estate, according to the BBC. 

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"She was quite a lovable child," au pair Inge Crane told CNN. "She was very, very cuddly."

Her younger brother, Charles Spencer, shared that she started exhibiting a spirit of giving and "fighting for good causes" at a young age, as reported by People magazine.

Though she had a keen sense of style from an early age, the little fashionista's childhood dream was to be married and be a mom.

"Diana's dreams all through her childhood really were just to be happily married and to have a large family," nanny Mary Clarke told CNN. “She loved animals when she was a child,” her mother said in a book by Sarah Bradford called “Diana.” “She loved everything that was small and furry or had feathers.”

Diana learned to ride horses before she was 4, but after she broke her arm in a riding accident, her love for it diminished. Still, her empathy for all living creatures would be a hallmark of her life.

"Diana deserves a place in history," her brother Charles said when she passed. "This was a special person, and not just a beautiful one."

Even though Diana lived a very public life after becoming the Princess of Wales, there are still many moments of her life that have remained unknown or unseen by the general public. A rare video showcasing a sweet moment between Diana and William resurfaced, and it is absolutely precious. In the video from 1993, Diana and William were seen laughing together, as they each looked extremely happy to be spending time with each other. 

At a few points, William tried to hide his beaming smile behind one of his hands but eventually gave up as he was so overcome with joy and happiness around his mother. The two couldn’t contain their giggles as they enjoyed a nice day out together.

During an ITV documentary from 2017 called “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy,” Harry described what his mother was really like. He explained that she was a “total kid through and through,” as per the Independent. He added, "When everybody says to me, ‘so she was fun, give us an example,’ all I can hear is her laugh in my head.” Diana had always made sure to show her boys just how deeply she cared for them. Harry explained that when she would hug him and William, “she would just engulf you and squeeze you as tight as possible.”

Even though Diana is no longer with us, it’s clear her memory and legacy have continued to live on through William and Harry. They have continued to honor the late princess and highlight just how incredible she was as a mother.

Now that they’re older, Harry and William are able to reflect more on their late mother’s impact on the world and on themselves.

“Losing your mother at such a young age does end up shaping your life massively, of course it does,” Harry said. “And now I find myself trying to be there and give advice to other people who are in similar positions.”

While William and the Duke of Sussex have been vocal about their adoration for Diana, it’s evident that Diana was just as vocal about her love for her two boys, both publicly and privately. 

Paul Burrell, a former servant of the British Royal Household, worked as Diana's butler for 10 years, from 1987 until her tragic death in 1997. Now the former butler has unveiled an unseen private letter that Princess Diana had once written to him.

The letter's contents could be of significant importance in regards to Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to resign as senior members of the royal family and the alleged differences their decision caused between Harry, William and King Charles III.

Burrell didn’t unveil all of the late Princess’ letter; instead, he decided to post an excerpt on his Instagram that he felt would be significant in the context of developments in the royal family. It was posted back in February 2020.

Underneath a black and white picture of Princess Diana smiling next to her sons William and Harry, Burrell shared a meaningful quote from the private letter:

"I love my boys to death and hope that the seeds I’ve planted will grow and bring the strength, knowledge, and stability that is needed," Diana wrote.

In the post’s caption, Burrell revealed why he chose to post the letter’s excerpt at that point in time:

“I wanted to send my support to Harry, Meghan, and Archie as they embark on a new life so far away from our shores,” he shared. “I am reminded of these poignant words which Princess Diana wrote to me many years ago. They are a mother’s words of unconditional love which are as appropriate today as when she wrote them over 24 years ago.” 

It seems very likely that reading his mother’s words might be a true support to Prince Harry as it became apparent that his thoughts were with his mother during eventful times. He mentioned her and her tragic death in his January 2020 speech when he addressed the rumors about the reason behind his and Meghan’s decision to resign as senior members of the royal family that had been circulating in the tabloids and gave his side of the truth. 

Not only did he reference his mother, but his speech was also quite reminiscent of the late Princess Diana's speech when she chose to step down from royal life following her divorce from Charles.

A royal divorce was essentially unheard of until Charles and Diana came out to the public with the news of their split. It wasn't all that shocking since there were constant rumors over the years of Charles having an affair with his current wife, Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, while he was still married to Diana.

Diana was open about the troubles in her marriage to Charles and even confronted Camilla about their affair in 1989. Diana and Charles separated in 1992, just a decade into their marriage. The issue could no longer stay hidden from the public once Charles confessed to the infidelity claims in later years.

Burrell’s Instagram posts about Diana have not been uncommon. Shortly after Prince Harry and Meghan had announced their decision, he shared a picture of the prince and his late mother and commented that Diana “would want Harry and Meghan to be happy above all else.” Attached to the post was another excerpt of one of Diana’s private letters:

“I would look up and laugh and love and live.” 

According to Elle, Prince Harry described his late mother as something very special. He said Princess Diana was the "best mum in the world." He went on to say: "She would just engulf you and squeeze you as tight as possible. And being as short as I was then, there was no escape, you were there and you were there for as long as she wanted to hold you … All I can hear is her laugh in my head and that sort of crazy laugh of where there was just pure happiness shown on her face." 

Elle shared that Prince William said his mom tried to show them life outside of their royal titles and duties. "She always understood that there was life outside of palace walls," he shared. "My mother cherished those moments of privacy and being able to be that mother, rather than the Princess of Wales," he added. 

People shared that Princess Diana wanted to create her own rules of motherhood living as a royal family member. "I don't go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head," she once said. Princess Diana also shared that there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for her sons, who lived a very unique life. ​​"I will fight for my children on any level so they can reach their potential as human beings, and in their public duties," she said. 

Princess Diana didn't have a regular job, but with her royal duties, she was extremely busy. However, according to Insider, she changed her schedule to be as present as possible for her sons. "In her official calendar, the princess had all the everyday details of her sons' utterly everyday lives marked in green ink," they reported. 

Not only was her goal to be very present, but Princess Diana was very passionate about raising her sons to be good human beings. She was very much known for her humanitarian work and wanted to pass that down to Prince William and Harry as well. 

She wasn't shy about showing them all of the outside heartbreaks of the world. "Well, with William and Harry, for instance, I take them round homelessness projects, I've taken William and Harry to people dying of AIDs ― albeit I told them it was cancer ― I've taken the children to all sorts of areas where I'm not sure anyone of that age in this family has been before," she said according to HuffPost.

"I want my boys to have an understanding of people's emotions, their insecurities, people's distress and their hopes and dreams," she also shared. Aside from her being known all around the world as the "People's Princess," Princess Diana was most obsessed with her role as a mother. "Don't call me an icon. I'm just a mother trying to help," she shared. 

On July 1, 2021, William and Harry came together at Kensington Palace to commemorate and unveil a statue of their mother on what would have been her 60th birthday. The late princess was also honored in other ways to coincide with what would have been her milestone birthday in July 2021. Her iconic wedding dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emmanuel, was put on display at Kensington Palace, as per BBC News. The dress was only one part of a larger exhibition featuring royal heirlooms and artifacts but had been given prominence as the exhibition's central piece. 

What do you think of Princess Diana's take on motherhood as a royal family member? We believe she was a trailblazer in her own right. If you found this article inspiring, send it on to others who will be inspired too!