Share Tweet Pin Email By Katherine Tinsley 10:07pm PDT, Sep 5, 2025 _ Prince William was just 15 when his mother, Princess Diana, died at 36 in 1997. The loss "made" the future king, he said while reflecting on her death years later, in one of just a handful of times he's publicly opened up about her in the nearly three decades since she died.
Keep reading to see what he had to say on the subject...
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news _ In the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother, Prince William reflected on losing Princess Diana at a young age. "It'll either make or break you. And I wouldn't let it break me, I wanted it to make me," he said. "I wanted her to be proud of the person I'd become. I didn't want her worried or her legacy to be, you know, that William and/or [Prince Harry] were completely and utterly devastated by it." _ Prince William and Prince Harry memorably walked behind Princess Diana's coffin during her funeral. "People wanted to grab us, to touch us," William reflected. "They were shouting, wailing, literally wailing at us, throwing flowers, and yelling, sobbing, breaking down, people fainted, collapsed. It was a very alien environment." _ "I couldn't understand why everyone wanted to cry as loud as they did and show such emotion as they did when they didn't really know our mother," Prince William continued. "I did feel a bit protective at times about that. You didn't even know her - why and how are you so upset? Now looking back, I have learnt to understand what it was she gave the world and what she gave a lot of people." _ Prince William was spending time with his family at their Balmoral estate in Scotland when he learned that Princess Diana was dead, he shared during a 2021 speech. "Scotland is the source of some of my happiest memories. But also, my saddest," he said. "I was in Balmoral when I was told that my mother had died. Still in shock, I found sanctuary in the service at Crathie Kirk that very morning. And in the dark days of grief that followed, I found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors. ... As a result, the connection I feel to Scotland will forever run deep." MEGA ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com Vogler Ian / Mirrorpix/Newscom/The Mega Agency David Cruickshanks / Mirrorpix/Newscom/The Mega Agency Kent Gavin / Mirrorpix/Newscom/The Mega Agency Up Next The post William shares how Diana's death 'made' him appeared first on Wonderwall.com.