Prince William, now 41, once promised his mother Princess Diana that he would restore her royal title when he became King, according to Diana's former butler Paul Burrell. In his book A Royal Duty, Burrell recounts that the promise made Diana cry.
Diana married King Charles (then Prince Charles) in 1981, gaining the title Her Royal Highness Diana, Princess of Wales. However, after their divorce in 1996, she was stripped of the 'Royal Highness' designation, becoming simply Diana, Princess of Wales. Reports indicate Charles wanted her to lose the titles, while the late Queen Elizabeth II believed she should keep them as mother of a future king.
Burrell claims that William, aged 14 at the time, told his mother: 'Don't worry Mummy, I will give it back to you one day when I am King.' Diana tragically died in a car crash on 31st August 1997, meaning William can never fulfil that promise.
In 2021, during a Royal Tour of Scotland, William publicly spoke about his mother's death, recalling being at Balmoral when he learned the news. He said he found sanctuary in a church service and solace in the Scottish outdoors. William has also expressed his desire to raise his children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—in the same way Diana raised him and Prince Harry.
