Princess Diana's Death Changed Prince Charles' Role In the Royal Family Forever

published 5 May 2020

In the new documentary The Queen and Prince Charles: Mother and Son, royal commentator Lady Julie Montagu explains that after the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997, Prince Charles had to take a new approach to raise his sons. According to Montagu, Princess Diana did most of the hands-on parenting when it came to Prince William and Prince Harry. "We can see that in the hugging, the laughing, the cuddling that she did. After her death, it changes completely," she said.

When the princess died suddenly in 1997, Prince Charles had to step into the role. "He really stepped up in that parenting role when he needed to," Montagu said.

Growing up, though, Prince Charles wasn't used to having his mother and father around—if you've seen The Crown, you'll already know this—because they frequently traveled on royal trips. However, while their parents were gone, Charles and his sister Princess Anne became accustomed to the affectionate, hands-on approach of The Queen Mother and King George VI ("For me, she meant everything," Charles said of the Queen Mother after her death).

According to the Daily Express, it may be that Prince Charles modeled his parenting approach from what he experienced growing up with his grandparents to help be that support system where Princess Diana once stood. Either way, it's safe to say the effort that Prince Charles put into becoming a hands-on father figure to the boys did not go unnoticed. "One of the hardest things for a parent to have to do is to tell your children that your other parent has died," Prince Harry said in Diana, 7 Days ."How you deal with that, I don't know."

He continued," [Our dad] was there for us—he was the one out of two left, and he tried to do his best and to make sure that we were protected and looked after." Harry added: "But he was going through the same grieving process as well."

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Bianca Rodriguez is the Audience Development Manager at Future, covering fashion, beauty, and more for Marie Claire, Who What Wear US and Who What Wear UK. In addition to spearheading SEO content across brands—whether writing about wardrobe must-haves or strategizing how to make eye-catching content—she is also an avid reader with a deep love and knowledge for books of all genres. More often than not, you can find her lounging with a good book on the weekend.