Prince William is reportedly considering how to mark the 30th anniversary of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales's death next year. The late royal died in August 1997, aged 36, with her two sons aged just 15 and 12 at the time.
With the anniversary just 10 months away, speculation has grown over how William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, will both mark the sad day. The feuding brothers are also still estranged, with the last time they spoke unknown. William and Harry marked the 20th anniversary in 2017 with a joint appearance on the documentary, Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
Concern Over Diana's Legacy
Speaking on the latest episode of Palace Confidential, the Daily Mail's diary editor Richard Eden revealed that there will likely be one major problem if William doesn't mark the anniversary publicly. Mr Eden revealed that he believes William would be leaving it to Harry to "concede their mother's legacy".
He said: "The problem is though, if there's no service and then William doesn't take part in any sort of television documentary, the problem is then he's kind of conceding his mother's legacy to Harry who, as we know with Earl Spencer, is writing about Diana and Harry's programme would obviously be accompanied by lots of publicity [and] lots of interest."We know that he has approached many members of his family to take part. And does William want to let his brother take control of Diana's legacy? We've seen how keen Meghan [Markle] is to capitalise on it."
Harry's Anniversary Plans Criticised
Harry has reportedly been approached about several anniversary-related projects, and it was alleged earlier this month that he had already begun speaking with friends of his late mother for one of them. The Duke of Sussex's plans have now been branded "deeply offensive" by broadcaster Dee Dee Dunleavy, who said 30 years is not "a significant anniversary".
Speaking to News24, previously Sky News Australia, she said: "I don't want to be mean, but I don't consider 30 to be a significant anniversary. It's certainly a great length of time since we lost Princess Diana, but usually, like 25 and then maybe 50 are the anniversaries that are marked."
She added that many documentaries have been made over the past 29 years, at present, adding: "We don't need another documentary, whether William is in it or Harry is in it."
Private Plans for William
William could be set to mark the anniversary privately, likely spending the day with his wife, Princess Catherine, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
