Rare Photos of Princess Diana as a Mom You Probably Haven't Seen Before
The huge smiles on William and Harry's faces say it all.
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Princess Diana changed Buckingham Palace — and the public's perception of it — in so many ways. While she's remembered for her graceful composure and impeccable fashion, those traits were small parts of her lasting legacy. The way she raised her two children was another: Lady Di's parenting style, captured in both candid shots and widely-released photos, had never been seen before in the British royal family.
Time after time, she broke royal protocol when it came to Prince William and Prince Harry, from giving birth in a regular hospital to showing them public affection with a great big bear hug. Read on to learn about Princess Diana's experiences with motherhood, many of which were captured in sweet pictures of family getaways and trips to McDonald's with the sons she loved so dearly.
1982
On June 21, 1982, Princess Diana and Prince Charles welcomed their firstborn son. From the moment she became a mom, Di began breaking from royal tradition. Unlike prior royal mothers who gave birth in a royal palace, she birthed the heir to the throne in the more ordinary St. Mary’s Hospital in London.
1982
In another bold decision, the royal chose to remain fully awake during the birth of Prince William. "It was the first active royal birth — a complete contrast to the Queen's reflection that, with modern anesthesia, birth had become 'a sleep and a forgetting,'" Sheila Kitzinger, who advised the hospital on how to best care for Diana, told The Daily Mail.
1982
Although this family photo from Prince William's christening looks peaceful, it was anything but. "William bawled his head off from the moment that the photo op started to the end of it. Diana had to put her little finger in his mouth to keep him quiet throughout, but it didn't work quite honestly," royal photographer Kent Gavin shared with PureWow.
1983
In another unprecedented move, Princess Diana refused to leave baby William behind on her and Prince Charles's royal tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1983. Here, the new family takes a break from their busy schedule to relax on the grounds of New Zealand's Government House.
1983
Princess Diana and baby William share a laugh during a photoshoot at Kensington Palace.
1984
On September 15, 1984, Prince Harry was born at the same hospital where Di delivered Prince William. The royal struggled with postnatal depression, something she spoke openly about over the years. "You'd wake up in the morning feeling you didn't want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood, and just very, very low in yourself," she told Martin Bashir in their controversial 1995 interview.
1984
The royal remained protective of her boys, as seen in this photo of her carrying Prince William through Scotland's Aberdeen Airport during a storm.
1985
1985 was a big year for Prince William, pictured here on his first day of nursery school. "I was [a little sad] because it's opening another chapter in my life and certainly William's. But he's ready for it. He's a very independent child," Di said at the time.
1985
From the moment she became a mom, Princess Di was determined to decide what was best for her sons — even if that meant disagreeing with her royal husband. When asked who chose their names for the book, Diana: Her True Story, she shared: "I did. I chose William and Harry, but Charles did the rest. He wanted Albert and Arthur, and I said no. Too old!"
1985
Here, Princess Diana completes a puzzle with a young Prince William.
1986
Prince Charles bought Highgrove House in 1980, and it became one of the main estates where he and Diana raised their children. The Princess spent plenty of time here chasing her little ones around the playground.
1986
In a sweet archival clip shared on TikTok from this day in 1986, Princess Diana lures Prince William back from his run toward the estate's gate. "Alright, Harry will have all the fun then," she joked before the tot came running back to her.
1986
While Diana wasn't a horseback riding fan herself, she made sure to provide lessons to her young sons.
1986
Princess Diana wanted to raise her sons as normal as possible. She personally took care of her children when traveling, which went against royal tradition.
1987
"Diana's very public displays of affection were very new for the typically reserved royal family," journalist Matt Elton wrote for the BBC's HistoryExtra.com. "It was a radical departure from a young Prince Charles staidly shaking his mother’s hand."
1987
Diana tried to instill the importance of kindness in both of her sons. "One of the things our mother taught William and I was the value of doing good when no one is watching," Prince Harry said in 2017 while presenting the Diana Award to that year's recipients.
1988
Despite appearing as a happy family, many accounts reveal that there were cracks in Diana and Charles's relationship from the start. The royal revealed her husband had said something following Harry's birth that hurt her deeply. "His first comment [after the birth] was, 'Oh God, it's a boy. And he's even got red hair,'" she said, according to Diana: Her True Story. Diana, meanwhile, was proud of their son's red hair — a trait that runs in her family.
1988
The royal had an uneasy relationship with the media, and became extra protective when paparazzi approached her boys. An older clip that recently reemerged on TikTok finds her attempting to block cameras, saying, "Could I ask you to respect my children's space? As a parent I want to protect children."
1989
Throughout the years, Diana was always seen embracing her kids. "Even talking about it now, I can feel the hugs that she used to give us," Prince Harry said in Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
1989
Here, Diana holds little Harry's hand in the waters of Necker Island. Richard Branson's personal island was a popular vacation spot for the family, and they'd return the following year.
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