How Prince William Quietly Honored Mom Princess Diana At Palace Garden Party
William, Prince of Wales, and his mother Princess Diana had a close relationship. As a mom, Diana took an active role caring and spending time with both her children. She also made a point to include her children when she carried out royal duties. After accompanying Diana on her visits to the charity Centerpoint, which supports homeless youth, William followed in her footsteps as patron of the organization, a role he's had since 2005.
"I would like a monarchy that has more contact with its people," Diana once remarked, per History Extra. She was successful in forging a strong connection with the public, as evidenced by former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair. "She was the people's princess, and that's how she will stay, how she will remain in our hearts and in our memories, forever," he observed after Diana's tragic death in 1997, per CNN. This idea is something William has taken to heart in his work as a senior royal and heir to the throne. The prince "has high ambitions to be known as the People's King," a source told Us Weekly. "[He's] creating the perfect balance of being relatable to the public at the same [time] as being a respected role model and decision-maker." Recently, William showed he was thinking of his mom with some poignant symbolism at a royal garden party by sporting her favorite flowers.
Prince William wore forget-me-nots, Diana's favorite flower
For a Buckingham Palace garden party on May 9, William, Prince of Wales, wore a sapphire blue tie and a powder blue vest, along with a black morning coat. He accessorized the look with a sleek top hat and — in honor of his mother — a sprig of forget-me-nots. Over the years, members of the royal family have paid tribute to the late Princess Diana with the purplish-blue flowers. "They were Diana's favorite flower," Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, told People. "I still remember giving her some when we were children. When I was six, I gave her a white pot of blue forget-me-nots." For the 2019 Chelsea Flower Show, Catherine, Princess of Wales, commemorated her mother-in-law by including the flowers in her nature-inspired display.
In 2021, both William and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, honored their mother's memory when 100 forget-me-nots were planted and a Diana statue unveiled at Kensington Palace's Sunken Garden. Back in 2006, Harry inadvertently connected his mother with his charity Sentebale, which he named after the Sesotho word for "forget-me-not." At the time he wasn't aware of his mother's preference for the flower. However, after he made the discovery in 2016, the duke made a concerted effort to include Diana's signature flower on numerous important occasions. The tiny blooms featured in Meghan Markle's wedding bouquet, and he and the Duchess of Sussex planted forget-me-nots at an LA preschool on the 2020 anniversary of Diana's death.