Prince Harry and Prince William Pay Tribute to Their Late Mom, Princess Diana, Amid Breakup

Prince William and Prince Harry are carrying on the legacy of their late mother, Princess Diana, but they’re still doing it separately.

The estranged brothers both wrote letters to congratulate the latest recipients of the Diana Award, a charity established in honor of their mother, according to People.

However, the Prince of Wales, 44, and the Duke of Sussex, 42, sent separate messages to the winners, highlighting their years-long feud despite their shared commitment to preserving Diana’s legacy.

The Diana Award, the only charity named after the late princess and supported by the two brothers, recognized 198 young people from 44 countries for their “commitment to social action” and their efforts to create “positive change in their communities and beyond,” according to the organization.

This year’s winners included 23 American winners.

“These exceptional young people have demonstrated their ability to inspire and mobilize new generations to serve their communities and create lasting change on a global scale,” the organization said in a statement accompanying its annual honor roll.

The charity’s mission is to empower young people to make a difference by providing them with opportunities and initiatives that help them reach their full potential.

“These young people are proof that, whatever their background or circumstances, the desire to make a difference is universal,” Diana Award chief executive Dr Tessy Ojo CBE said in a statement.

“They are building on the legacy of Diana, Princess of Wales, almost 30 years later.”

If the brothers’ participation marks a rare shared tribute to their mother, who died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, it does not seem to signal a thaw in their tense relationship.

William and Harry previously gathered in July 2021 to unveil a statue of Diana at Kensington Palace on what would have been her 60th birthday.

However, the siblings appeared noticeably distant in the years since, including at the funeral of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022, and at a memorial service in 2024 for their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes.

Tensions between the brothers escalated after Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as senior royals in 2020 and moved to Southern California.

Although the Sussexes made a surprising return to the U.K. in August, apparently in hopes of helping their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, forge closer family bonds, Harry and William have yet to publicly reconcile.

Harry, however, recently expressed his desire to reconcile with his older brother.

“I want it to work. Of course I do,” the “Spare” author told GQ in an interview last month.

He acknowledged that “some people don’t want it to work” and admitted that he continues to mourn their broken relationship.

“With everything going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile,” Harry said. “That’s the key point.”

The father-of-two also described their split as “extremely relevant”, highlighting the family conflicts experienced by people around the world.

“There are disagreements between brothers and sisters,” he explained. “I know how relevant it is. The broken relationships between children and their parents. It continues to stay with me all the time with the people I talk to. That’s probably why there’s so much fascination.”

Still, Harry acknowledged that overcoming their differences might not be easy.

“If there are certain things from the past that still affect you every day, it’s harder to let go of them,” he said.