Prince Harry has spoken of his lasting regret over the final phone call he had with his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, before her death in a car crash 29 years ago. He was 12 years old when he received the news of the crash while on holiday with family members at Balmoral.
Last conversation recalled in documentary
In the 2017 documentary "Diana, Our Mother", Prince Harry and Prince William sat down to share memories of their mother and discussed the last time they saw her. Harry recalled being desperate to end the phone call so he could go outside and play.
He said: "I can’t really, necessarily, remember what I said. But all I do remember is probably, you know, regretting for the rest of my life how short the phone call was."
He added: "And if I’d known that was the last time I was going to speak to my mother – the things I would have said to her."
Reflections on the funeral
Prince William also spoke in the documentary about his reaction to the news, saying: "I remember just feeling completely numb, disoriented, dizzy. You feel very, very confused. And you keep asking yourself, ‘Why me?’ All the time, ‘Why? What have I done? Why? Why has this happened to us?’"
Diana's funeral took place in London on September 6, 29 years ago today. Prince Harry reflected on walking behind her coffin, saying: "My mother had just died and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands watching me while millions more did on television."
He added: "I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today."
William described the experience, saying: "There’s nothing like it in the world. There really isn’t. It’s like an earthquake has just run through the house and through your life and everything. Your mind is completely split. And it took me a while for it to actually sink in."
