Princess Diana and Prince Harry Through the Years
The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, pose for a family portrait with their sons, Prince William, right, and Prince Harry, at the Kensington Palace in London on Oct. 6, 1984.
It’s no surprise that Prince Harry will follow in his mom’s footsteps when it comes to parenting. The famous prince has long stayed clear of some of the royal traditions expected of him. The latest, of course, have lots of people questioning his and Meghan’s choices regarding the royal baby. After all, she did have a baby shower (a big royal no-no) and the couple chose to withhold the delivery doctor's signature on the May 6 baby announcement.
Princess Diana was also known for breaking protocols as a mother. She broke tradition by giving birth in a hospital, was known to travel with her babies and did other normal “motherly” things like reprimand her children. The similarities between this mother and son are inherent in their personalities. Diana would even say to friends, “William is deep, like his dad, and stubborn, and Harry is a hothead like me. He does the first thing that comes into his head.”
Even though Princess Diana died at the age of 36, her memory will inevitably live on in her children and her grandchildren. Prince George has already gotten into the habit of opening his Christmas gifts ahead of the big day, a tradition that was passed onto Prince William from his mom. As Prince Harry takes on his new role as a father, you better believe similar traditions will be passed onto his children. Let’s take a look back at these endearing moments between his mother and him to get a hint for what some of those might look like.
A New Prince Is Born
Prince Harry was born on Sept. 15, 1984, at St Mary's Hospital in London, about two years after his older brother, Prince William.
Just the next day, Prince Charles and Princess Diana stood in front of onlookers with their new baby son as they left the hospital.
Family Portrait
As most parents know, getting small children to pose for a family portrait can be challenging to say the least.
This 1984 photo of Princess Diana with her son, Prince Harry, in her arms and Prince William in the foreground managed, however, to capture all three faces.
Traveling With Other Royals
The British Royal family spent several summers on Palma de Mallorca in Spain with the Spanish Royal family.
Here, Prince Charles lifted Prince Harry playfully onto the back of Archy, the dog of King Juan Carlos, second right, during a photo call at the Marivent Palace on July 9, 1986. Prince Felipe and Queen Sofia of Spain, left, and Princess Diana and Prince William watched.
Intimate Moments
The following year, Prince Charles and Princess Diana spent another week on Palma de Mallorca, again as guests of King Juan Carlos and his family.
This intimate moment captured the Princess of Wales holding her son, Prince Harry, while the royal families posed for photographers at the Royal Palace on Aug. 9, 1987.
Family Ties
The families showed off their closeness in this photo, as Prince Harry holds hands with host, King Juan Carlos of Spain, while looking at his mother at the entrance of Marivent Palace.
In this photo: The top row included Princess Elena; the second row from top included Princess Christina, King Juan Carlos, Prince Charles and Queen Sophia of Spain. In the bottom row sat Prince Harry, Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Felipe of Spain. Princesses Christina and Elena and Prince Felipe are Juan Carlos' and Queen Sophia's children.
First Day of Kindergarten
Princess Diana led Prince Harry, at age 3, by the hand to his first day of kindergarten in London's Notting Hill on Sept. 16, 1987.
Holding hands, Prince Charles and Prince William joined the two at the same school where Prince William began schooling two years prior.
Goofing Around
Britain's favorite princes, William, left, 5, and Prince Harry, right, 3, have had their fair share of goofing off.
Standing aboard a vintage fire engine at the Royal Family's Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, they did just that. The Jan. 3, 1988, photo also included the 10-year-old son of Princess Anne, Peter Phillips, in the driver's seat.
Funny Faces
"Hotheaded" and entertaining indeed. Britain's Prince Harry stuck out his tongue for the cameras on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London on June 11, 1988, following the Trooping of the Colour.
Princess Diana held Harry, as a smiling Prince William sat in front, and Lady Gabriella Windsor was seen on the left.
An Active Family
The family has always been quite active, even in the boys' youth. Prince Charles and Princess Diana and their sons, William, right, and Harry are shown here starting a bicycle ride on June 1, 1989, around the island of Tresco, one of the Scilly Isles.
The royal family was vacationing in the islands, located off the southwest tip of Britain.
Making Jokes
You certainly have to have a sense of humor when your family is always in the spotlight, even if it's not during the most appropriate moment.
Princess Diana looked amused at something one of her sons said, or maybe should not have said, as they drove in an open carriage to the Queen’s official birthday parade in London on June 17, 1989.
Politeness Reigns
As royal princes, it's only inevitable that manners will be engrained into the boys' everyday behaviors. Prince William shook hands with Frederika Blair-Turner, the headmistress of Wetherby School in Notting Hill, as his little brother Prince Harry, 4, smiled, clutching his schoolbag on Sept. 11, 1989.
It was Harry's first day of school for the year, but he should have started the previous Thursday. A viral infection kept him at home.
Heading to the Beach
It's safe to say this family enjoyed their beach vacations.
A smiling Princess Diana, left, with son Prince Harry, 5, arrived at the dock on Tortola, British Virgin Islands, on April 8, 1990, where she and others were transported by boat to Necker Island for vacation.
Playful With the Kids
Princess Diana was always known to be very playful with her children and others, often seen sitting or kneeling to get closer to them.
This was just one example, as she sat in the sand surrounded by children from the royal entourage as they bury her legs on the beach. Prince Harry, 5, had his hand on her shoulder, while Princes William, 7, dug in the top right at the privately owned Necker Island in British Virgin Islands, where they vacationed on April 11, 1990 .
Double the Celebration
Sometimes, celebrating your birthday means celebrating the entire country for which your family represents.
Such was the case for Prince Harry, who celebrated his sixth birthday with his mother, the Duchess of York, left, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The celebration included a flyover of Buckingham Palace in London on Sept. 15, 1990, by 168 military aircraft in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The fly past was the biggest ever since the coronation.
More Tributes
The tributes are a big part of the royal duties, even when your little.
Princess Diana and her two sons are pictured here on Oct. 25, 1990, outside London's St. Paul's Cathedral, where they paid tribute to firefighters who saved London during the World War II blitz.
In Style
Dressing up is definitely part of the royal deal as well.
Because Princess Diana was a style icon, her two sons were always sharp dressers and continue to be so to this day.
Museum Regulars
Being a royal has its perks though, too — and that includes attending dinosaur exhibits with your mom!
Here, Princess Diana left the Natural History Museum after a dinosaur exhibition with her sons Prince Harry, left, and Prince William on April 13, 1992.
Water Sports
Water sports were fun for the whole family, as Princess Diana walked on Indian Castle Beach in Nevis, West Indies, on Jan. 3, 1993.
Keeping It Casual
On the same Caribbean trip, Princess Diana showed her laidback side as she talked to children in her beach group, including Harry, left, at Banana Bay Beach in St. Kitts, in the Caribbean on Jan. 4, 1993.
The Wonderful World of Disney
Yes, even the royal family wants to embrace the magic that is Walt Disney World.
Prince Harry, front row left, and family friend Harry Soames, right, rode Splash Mountain at the amusement park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Aug. 26, 1993. Riding at back right was Princess Diana.
Providing Comfort
In true mom fashion, Princess Diana was always there to comfort her sons.
The Princess of Wales offered her son Prince Harry a drink of water during this open-air ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe in Hyde Park, central London, on May 7, 1995.
The Guest of Honor
Another part of the royal gig is acting as a presenter for major events.
Here, Princess Diana stood with Prince Harry at Silverstone racetrack in England on July 10, 1994. She presented the winners cup at this 1994 British Grand Prix event.
Front Row
The royal family got front-row seats to this veteran's parade during the 50th anniversary of VJ Day commemorations in London, on Aug. 19, 1995.
V-J Day was marked in England by memorial services, parades and a spectacular fireworks display over the River Thames.
Education Is Key
Education has always been important to the royals.
Both William and Harry attended Eton College, an independent boarding school in London that was founded by none other than King Henry VI in 1440. Here, Prince Charles and Princess Diana accompanied the boys at the school on Sept. 6, 1995.
Boarding School Traditions
The family was even there when Prince William signed the traditional entrance book at Eton College for his first day at the school.
Prince William was the first future King of Britain to attend the institution that has long educated the sons of Britain's elite.
Growing Up
In one of the last photos of Prince Charles and Princess Diana together, the Royal Family posed in the White drawing room of Windsor Castle on the day of Prince William's confirmation, March 9, 1997, when he was 14.
Not only did the ceremony represent Prince William's devotion to the church, it also represented his transition into his teenage years. However, Princess Diana, a known jokester, had already celebrated that significant milestone the summer before, said to have given him a cake made into the shape of boobs for his 13th birthday.
More Fun
Princess Diana was known for being fun and adventurous.
In this July 17, 1997, photo, Princess Diana rode a personal watercraft with her son Prince Harry steering in Saint Tropez, on the French Riviera, where they spent a few days holidaying.
News of Princess Diana's Death
On Aug. 31, 1997, Prince William and Prince Harry's lives forever changed after finding out the news of their mother's death.
Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris, along with her friend Dodi Fayed and the driver of the car. In this photo, Prince Charles and both of his sons were driven from church in Balmoral, Scotland, after hearing about the incident.
The People's Princess
People from all over the world mourned with the family over Princess Diana's death.
Prince Charles accompanied his sons on Sept. 5, 1997, after they arrived at Kensington Palace to view tributes left in memory of their mother.
Funeral Proceedings
Prince William, Earl Spencer (Princess Diana's brother), Prince Harry and Prince Charles attended Princess Diana's funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Sept. 6, 1997.
Here, they were led by a party of Foot guards as they made their way into the church.
Entering the Church
As the coffin of Princess Diana was carried into Westminster Abbey by the bearer party of Welsh Guardsmen for her funeral, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Earl Spencer, Prince William and the Duke of Edinburgh followed.
In Memory
After Princess Diana's death, her memory continued to live on.
Here, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry attended the opening of a fountain built in memory of her in London's Hyde Park on July 6, 2004. The fountain was built south of the Serpentine lake and was meant to highlight the princess' inclusive personality.