fashionable woman in the world ? his mother. His mother took time out To Whom
It May Concern: be with Prince William and his younger brother ? Prince
William was even the first royal baby to go on tours with his parents on order
of his mother. Diana usually let most fights with the royal family go instead of
fight them all the way ? but she never quit fighting when it came to her boys.
Diana took Prince William and Prince Harry to homeless shelters and out with her
on travels to people who were less fortunate. Prince William learned to love and
learn what others love through his mother’s teachings and he shared numerous
interests with his mother ? including tennis, famous stars, music and people.
Diana taught Prince William what life was like when one is not a royal ? by
taking him to McDonald’s and to theme parks. As noted in one incident, Prince
Henry and Prince William served beef curry to the needy as they visited a
homeless shelter with their mother. It was said that Princess Diana
"brought her kids back down to earth" after their week-long skiing
trip by showing the two how teenagers struggle on London’s streets. Princess
Diana broke numerous traditions and let the royal family witness what
"different" really was. For instance, Prince William was born with a
British Prime Minister present and Prince Diana was the first mother in the
royal family to give birth to a direct heir to the British throne without myriad
witnesses present. Princess Diana had broken another tradition when she decided
that breast feeding her newborn was the best way. Like all royal children,
Prince William had a nanny, but a tradition had been broken here, too. Princess
Diana insisted on choosing her own nanny, turning down the suggestions of the
Queen. Princess Diana was facing a heartbreaking future, being increasingly cut
off from her sons, when her and Prince Charles were having marital problems.
Buckingham Palace was tightening its grip on Prince William and Prince Henry’s
lives to limit her influence on them. Although Prince Diana shared custody of
the boys in her separation from Prince Charles, they spent less time with her as
they were being groomed to become senior members of the monarchy. As royal
expert Harold Brooks-Baker said, "Prince William has a future as the heir
to the throne and there is very little the Princess of Whales can teach him
about that. Prince Henry will follow the same path. Only their father and his
family can teach them that, and the Princess’s influence will become
marginal." On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana was on her way to England to
see her boys in a Mercedes Benz followed by the paparazzi. The driver,
supposedly intoxicated, was driving at a horrendous speed of one hundred and
twenty miles per hour when he lost control of the car and slammed into a support
beam of a bridge. One of the three passengers of the car was pronounced dead at
the scene and only two remained, Princess Diana and her bodyguard. Barely alive,
Princess Diana was rushed to the hospital while the paramedics started an
operation trying to save her life in the ambulance. British Foreign Secretary
Robin Cook awakened Prince Charles shortly after midnight in Scotland, within an
hour of the accident. Prince Charles then awoke the Queen and both went to the
drawing room. When Princess Diana’s condition was described as grave, Prince
Charles decided to awake the children.