Princess Diana is revered as the people’s princess even decades after her death. The Princess was admired by millions around the world for her grace, her kindness, and her brave heart.
Even when she was a working royal, She wasn’t afraid to break royal protocol when she deemed it right to do so. Even though she was well-loved by the people and was an exceptional royal, the role she played most in life was that of a mother.
She took every chance she got to talk about her sons, William and Harry, and protected them fiercely without a second thought. There were times when she made it evident that being a mother is what mattered to her more than any crown or title ever would.
School pick-ups and drops
When most royals grew up with chauffeurs and security personnel who would take them places, Diana broke the norm. She turned it into a ritual that she dropped and picked William up from his school.
The last public pictures of Prince William with his mother Princess Diana ❤️🥺
People can write what they want, no one knows Diana better than The Prince of Wales, as in the last years of her life, she told him everything.
No journalist, book, documentary or Prince Harry and… pic.twitter.com/NlL3OOl7YY
— The British Prince (@freedom_007__) July 18, 2025
Even with an undeniably busy schedule to tackle, the princess never missed a beat. She showed up every day to spend time with the heir to the throne hand-in-hand. The late royal once shared how this tradition was one of her daily doses of joy.
Breaking royal protocol
The royals have a strict protocol that needs to be followed at all times, some of which have even been followed for decades. Many of the protocols could even be considered outdated and unnecessary. Diana wasn’t afraid to question these rules and break them if they didn’t sit right with her as a mother.
Princess Diana with her three year old Prince William and one year old Prince Harry Opening with a photoshoot in Kensington Palace. (October 4, 1985) pic.twitter.com/HM4mD770jb
— Time Capsule Tales (@timecaptales) May 2, 2025
One instance of this was when the palace forbade her from flying with Prince William and Harry together. She did not back down and did it anyway because she wished both her boys were together when they took trips.
Royal advisors intervened several times to claim that there were some trips that the boys were “too young” to take. She ignored the advice and did what she thought was right for her boys.
Diana wasn’t shy about PDA
The Princess wasn’t afraid to hug it out with her children, no matter how many people or cameras were watching. Before this, physical displays of affection from the royal family weren’t really a sight that people witnessed often.
In October 1991, whilst on a tour of Canada, the iconic images of Diana warmly greeting her sons aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia were taken.
These images and the accompanying story were published around the world.
Charles also warmly hugged and greeted his sons. However these… pic.twitter.com/NmBWFLkfcG
— 💖 🦋 🌹 🧡🌸 Mamma Rosa Maria 💙🪷🌸💜🌻 (@MammaRosa21) December 8, 2025
Diana did not refrain from holding her boys’ hands, making them laugh, and even letting them sit in her lap, regardless of the public perception part. The late princess once spoke about how she wanted her sons to grow up knowing love, not protocol.
