How Harry Really Felt About Walking Behind Princess Diana's Casket
Princess Diana's death will forever remain one of the most tragic and shocking events of the century, and it's truly unimaginable what 12-year-old Prince Harry and 15-year-old Prince William had to publicly go through during the worst moment of their lives.
While the topic of Princess Diana's untimely death seems to be omnipresent in the news, the recent death of another royal — Harry and William's grandfather, Prince Philip — has seemingly catapulted Diana's story back into the spotlight.
In a 2017 interview with Newsweek, The Duke of Sussex spoke about the death of his mother, who was just 36 years old at the time of her passing on August 31, 1997. He revealed what it really felt like to walk behind his mom's casket with the eyes of the world on him. "My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television," Harry recalled. "I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today."
Prince Harry later shares a different view of being in Princess Diana's funeral
Although Prince Harry originally had said that he doesn't think "any child should be asked to do that," he did reveal that he was glad to be a part of the event, no matter how sad it was.
"I think it was a group decision. But before I knew it, I found myself with a suit on with a black tie and a white shirt, I think, and I was part of it," he said in the 2017 BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days, per People. "Genuinely, I don't have an opinion on whether that was right or wrong. I am glad I was part of it. Looking back on it now, I am very glad I was part of it."
Harry's brother, Prince William — who he has a strained relationship — echoed The Duke of Sussex's feelings about the grief-filled day. "It wasn't an easy decision, and it was a collective family decision to do that. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done," the Duke of Cambridge revealed. "But we were overwhelmed by how many people turned out, it was just incredible. There was that balance between duty and family and that's what we had to do."