13 January 2024 , 13:00
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Prince William was just 14 years old when his parents got divorced.
The Prince of Wales, who is the next heir to the British throne, also had to witness his parents very public fallout - and the tragic death of his mother in 1997. But when the People's Princess had her HRH title stripped away from her - William made an agonising promise that reduced her to tears.
After one of the most famous royal weddings, Lady Diana Spencer became Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Wales in 1981. Reports say the late Queen was happy for her to keep the title as she was the mother of a future King - but Charles allegedly demanded it was rescinded.
King Charles won the argument, and she became Diana, Princess of Wales. She was reportedly extremely very upset by the decision. Losing the HRH meant it was no longer necessary for friends or staff to bow or curtsy in Diana's presence. More humiliating, though, was that she herself would now have to curtsy to her husband, her two sons, and a whole host of minor royals.
So her eldest son William made her a promise to try and cheer her up. In his book A Royal Duty, Diana's butler and close friend Paul Burrell reveals the young William vowed to restore her title. The young prince reportedly said: "Don't worry Mummy, I will give it back to you one day when I am King."
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According to Burrell, the conversation left Diana in tears. But almost exactly a year after their divorce, Diana died in a car crash with her companion Dodi Fayed in Paris, on August 31, 1997 - making William's promise to give her back her HRH title even more heartbreaking.
The tragic irony is that, if Diana had not been stripped of the HRH title on the day she divorced, she might still be alive today. Losing her HRH status also meant losing the Royal protection that went with it, which may have prevented the Princess from being in a speeding car being pursued by paparazzi on that fateful night.
After their divorce Diana was reportedly awarded a £17million lump sum and £350,000 a year to run her private office. She was also allowed to keep her apartments at Kensington Palace, while Diana and Charles agreed to share custody of their sons.
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