Prince Harry recalls memory of Princess Diana
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The gist
Prince Harry said his last phone call with his mother, Princess Diana, is one of his "biggest regrets."
He also said he had not cried over her death in about 20 years.
Background
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is the 42-year-old son of Princess Diana and King Charles, married to Meghan Markle since May 2018 and father to Archie, 7, and Lilibet Diana, 5. Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997, at 36 in a car crash in Paris, when Harry was 12. The remarks came in a GQ interview with Zach Baron, recorded in New York in late September 2026 and published on October 20, and in a conversation about grief on a new MasterClass episode.
How it unfolded
- Aug 31, 1997Princess Diana died at 36 in a car crash in Paris; Harry was 12 and his brother Prince William was 15.
- Jan 2023Harry told ITV's Tom Bradby he wanted his father and brother "back."
- May 2025Harry told the BBC he would welcome reconciliation, saying Charles was no longer speaking to him at the time.
- Late Sep 2026The GQ interview with Zach Baron was recorded in New York.
- Oct 20, 2026GQ published the interview, in which Harry discussed losing Diana at 12, his final phone call with her, therapy and reconciliation hopes, and said he had not cried in about 20 years "despite trying hard."
- Oct 21, 2026Reports said Harry called his last phone call with Diana one of his "biggest regrets" in a conversation about grief on a new MasterClass episode.
Who’s saying what
- Harry
- He said that if he had known it was the last call with his mother, "how different that conversation would have been," and that he is "the one that has to live with that."
- Harry
- He said therapy "was the thing that really changed it for me" and that "you're allowed to cry about it," describing his grieving as getting "better and harder."
- Harry
- He said he grieves his relationships with King Charles and Prince William, that "some people don't want it to work out" while "I want it to work out," and asked, "If I become happy, is that a betrayal of her memory?"
- Spokesperson
- Harry's spokesperson clarified that his comment about some people not wanting reconciliation was not directed at Prince William or any other family member.
Still unverified
A source told Vanity Fair that Harry and Meghan's return to the UK had "derailed" William and Kate's plans, that William "is still pretty furious" and that he "won't have Harry's name mentioned in his presence."