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Princess Diana's parenting skills with an energetic young Prince Harry have become the focus of a new viral video, with footage from a 1995 royal commemorative event resurfacing on TikTok.
Royal parenting was in focus last summer when Kate, the Princess of Wales, was spotted trying to keep her youngest son, Prince Louis, occupied during a London pageant for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.
The young prince's gesture—covering his mother's mouth with his hand and cheekily holding his hand to his face and wiggling his fingers—led to some debate on social media over his mother's parenting techniques. While some users were critical of the princess, others came to her defense, including a TV child care expert, Supernanny's Jo Frost.
The new video, uploaded to TikTok by user ralll.45 on Monday, shows Diana with sons Harry and William at the 50th-anniversary commemorations of V-E Day (Victory in Europe), held in London's Hyde Park.
Sitting next to a restless Harry, Diana was seen batting down the 10-year-old prince's hand as he raised it in a pointing motion, then animatedly chatted to him about the event.
The video has received over 130,000 views in 48 hours and more than 6,000 likes, as well as numerous comments, many of which have praised Diana.
@ralll.45 I love her spontaneous movements?#princessdiana #foryou #explore #princewilliam #princeharry #tiktokarab #lovetiktok? ♬ original sound - Diana
"Not sure what she's saying but William is giggling. such a beautiful video. love this lady," wrote one user.
"Beautiful Diana and her princes," posted another.
One user wrote, "This reminds me of Princess Kate and Prince Louis."
Since stepping down from his working role as a royal in 2020 and moving to the U.S. with wife Meghan Markle, Harry has increasingly spoken about his mother and how he reacted to her death at age 36 from injuries suffered in a Paris car crash in 1997.
Last year marked the 25th anniversary of Diana's death. In an interview with the Today show during the Invictus Games in the Netherlands, Harry said he believes his mother's spirit has been closer to him since leaving Britain.
"For me, it's constant and it has been over the last two years," the prince told Today's Hoda Kotb after being asked whether he felt Diana was present at his milestone events.
"More so than ever before. It's almost as if she's done her bit with my brother and now she's very much helping me. She's got him set up, now she's helping me set up. That's what it feels like," he said.
The prince repeated this sentiment more explicitly in his memoir, Spare. He revealed that he had struggled with coming to terms with his mother's death, something he did not seek help with until recently.
In an opening description of his mother, Harry wrote, "There was so much I didn't remember, because I was so young when she died, but the greater miracle was all that I did.
"Her devastating smile, her vulnerable eyes, her childlike love of movies and music and clothes and sweets—and us. Oh how she loved my brother and me. 'Obsessively,' she once confessed to an interviewer," Harry wrote. "Well, Mummy...vice versa."
During a charity event in August 2022, just days before the 25th anniversary of Diana's death, Harry said in a speech that he wanted the day to be one filled with "memories" of the princess.
"Next week is the 25th anniversary of my mother's death, and she most certainly will never be forgotten," he said at the Sentebale polo event in Aspen, Colorado. "I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for the way she did it. I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her."
Harry has two children with Meghan, Prince Archie, born in 2019, and Princess Lilibet, born in 2021.
To honor his mother and their daughter's grandmother, Harry gave Lilibet the middle name of "Diana." This is a link she shares with cousin Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Prince William and Kate, who also gave their daughter the middle name.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more