Twenty Years into the Death of His Mother, Princess Diana, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William reveals He is Still in Shock over Her Death

Updated On March 18, 2024 | Published By: Chirlot Sharma | In Child , Relationship

Prince William recently spoke on the ‘shock’ of his mother Princess Diana’s death in a new BBC documentary, Mind Over Marathon.
This year will be the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death at age 36 in a Paris car crash in August 2007.

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The Royal Remark

In a preview for the documentary, Mind Over Marathon, which aired on Thursday, April 20, 2017, Prince William, 37, can be seen comforting a grieving woman and talking about his own experience with the loss of his mother at age 15.

“The shock is the biggest thing I still feel, 20 years later, about my mother,”

William says.

“People think shock can’t last that long, but it does. It’s such an unbelievably big moment in your life and it never leaves you, you just learn to deal with it.”

Prince Harry, 34, was only 12 at the time of mother Diana’s death, and he revealed earlier that week that he sought therapy to deal with the tragedy. He went on to tell The Telegraph for its Mad World podcast that he had “shut down all his emotions” in the aftermath.

“[I would cope by] sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help? It’s only going to make you sad, it’s not going to bring her back,”

he said.

“So from an emotional side, I was like, ‘Right, don’t ever let your emotions be part of anything.”

He added that counseling, talking to his brother and channeling his energy into boxing assisted him through the tough times.

“I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and sorts of lies and misconceptions and everything are coming to you from every angle,”

he said.

Also read Princess Diana’s personal letter to a lady named Erika to be auctioned in Los Angeles!

What is Mind Over Marathon?

Mind Over Marathon is a new BBC documentary. It follows ten runners who are struggling with mental health issues as they prepare for the upcoming London Marathon. The runners get help from Prince William, Duchess Kate, and Prince Harry and the Royals’ Heads Together mental health charity.

The Death incident of Princess Diana

On 31 August 1997, Princess Diana breathed her last due to the injuries that she suffered in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel in Paris, France.

While the other occupants of the Mercedes-Benz S280: Dodi Fayed, and Henri Paul, were declared dead at the scene, Diana and Fayed’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the sole survivors initially.

Even though the media had held the paparazzi following the car responsible for the accident, an 18-month French judicial inquiry found that the crash was in fact, caused by Henri Paul, who had lost control of the car at high speed while drunk.

Since February 1998, Fayed’s father, Mohamed Al-Fayed (who is also the owner of the Hôtel Ritz) has claimed that the crash was a result of a plot and later contended that the crash was orchestrated by MI6 on the instructions of the Royal Family.

However, his claims were falsified by the French judicial investigation as well as Operation Paget, a Metropolitan Police Service inquiry that concluded in 2006.

A thorough probe headed by Lord Justice Scott Baker began at the Royal Courts of Justice, London, on 2 October 2007, a continuation of the Inquisition which had begun in 2004.

Around six months later on 7 April 2008, the jury summarized that Diana and Fayed were the victims of “unlawful killing” by the “grossly negligent” chauffeur Paul and the drivers of the following vehicles.

Additional factors contributing to the accident and death were “the impairment of the judgment of the driver of the Mercedes through alcohol” and “the death of the deceased was caused or contributed to by the fact that the deceased was not wearing a seat belt, the fact that the Mercedes struck the pillar in the Alma Tunnel rather than colliding with something else“.

Short Bio of Prince William

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is the elder son of Prince Charles, and Princess Diana. William stands second in line to succeed his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after his father as the ruling monarchy.

In December 2006, he completed 44 weeks of training as an officer cadet and was commissioned in the Blues and Royals regiment. In April 2008, he qualified as a pilot, completing the pilot training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell. He then underwent helicopter flying training in order to become a full-time pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009. William’s military service with the British Armed Forces ended in September 2013. More Bio...

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