When Princess Diana tragically died in August 1997, her grieving siblings issued a poignant vow at her funeral.
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Diana’s two children, Prince William and Prince Harry, were just 15 and 12 years old, respectively, when Diana died, and her brother, Charles Spencer, pledged to try and raise them in the way that she’d intended.
In his oration as Diana was laid to rest, Charles said: “I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition but can sing openly as you planned.”
And just last year, people were left emotional as they realized that Diana’s family had upheld this promise.
In May, Harry made a rare return to his home country of the United Kingdom for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games Foundation, which he founded in 2014. For reference, the Invictus Games are a Paralympic-style event for wounded service people and veterans.
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Harry’s strained relationship with William and their father, King Charles III, has been well-documented in recent years, and neither relative showed up to support Harry at the event at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
But while Harry’s brother and dad were not by his side, he was not short of family members offering their support as Diana’s relatives showed up in abundance at the celebration.
In addition to Charles, Harry was shown reuniting with Diana’s sister Jane Fellowes, and several of his cousins. Charles’s children Louis and Lara Spencer were among the 10th-anniversary attendees, as well as George McCorquodale, the son of Diana’s other sister, Sarah McCorquodale, who isn’t thought to have attended.
“Brought tears to my eyes knowing that #GoodKingHarry is well supported by his mother’s family!” one person tweeted at the time. Somebody else wrote: “I remember so well Charles Spencer speech in W.A. that day. A man who has kept his promise and family in the Spencers H can rely on.”
And Charles was quick to show his public support for Harry again on Wednesday, after the prince settled his highly-publicized lawsuit with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN).
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You can check out a full, detailed explainer on the lawsuit here, but the crux of the matter is that Harry had accused NGN of unlawful information gathering by journalists and private investigators at the Sun between 1996 and 2011.
In the settlement, which was so last minute that the trial had already been scheduled to begin, Harry secured an eight-figure payout, acknowledgment of guilt from NGN, and — most poignantly — a public apology from the company to both himself and his mother.
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For the first ever time, NGN also admitted to any wrongdoing at their publication the Sun, although they said that the unlawful activity was carried out by private investigators hired by the tabloid, not their own journalists.
“NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun,” NGN’s public statement began.
“NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World,” it went on. “NGN further apologizes to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years.”
Needless to say, many felt incredibly emotional over Harry finally securing a long-overdue apology to Diana, who was famously subjected to relentless media intrusion and scrutiny prior to her death.
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“He never forgot his mother through it all. He knew this fight was bigger than him. To get an admission of guilt and an apology not just for him but for Princess Diana is beyond words. He did it,” one popular tweet reads.
“Princess Diana’s baby did it. Made his bully apologise to him and his mother. He can sleep well knowing his mother got an apology she was owed,” another adds.
“Today Prince Harry did 4 his beautiful mum what he was too young to do as a child & what none of the adults cared enough to do while she was alive. He stood up 4 her & protected her. I hope the little boy in him sleeps well tonight. Diana would be so proud,” somebody else wrote.
And Charles was just as proud of his nephew, sharing a screenshot of a BBC News report about Harry’s legal victory to his Instagram page, and adding in the caption: “It takes an enormous amount of guts to take on major media organisations like this, and incredible tenacity to win against them.”
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“It’s wonderful that Harry also secured an apology for his mother – she would be immensely touched by this, I’m sure, and also rightly proud,” he added. “Well done indeed.”
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