Prince Harry Admits He Will Forever Regret His Final Phone Call with Princess Diana

Marking the 29th anniversary of Princess Diana’s funeral on September 6, 1997, Prince Harry’s candid reflections on the trauma of losing his mother have resurfaced in the public eye.

Just 12 years old when he received the tragic news of the Paris car crash while staying at Balmoral, the Duke of Sussex spent decades processing the severe toll the loss took on his mental health.

In the documentary Diana, Our Mother, both Prince William and Prince Harry opened up about their final memories, with Harry expressing deep, lifelong remorse over their last telephone conversation. At the time, the young prince was desperate to end the call quickly so he could run outside to play with his cousins, entirely unaware of what lay ahead.

Harry acknowledged that the brief exchange will haunt him for the rest of his life, reflecting on how much he would have told his mother had he known it would be their final goodbye.

Beyond their final words, the public spectacle of Diana’s state funeral procession left an indelible mark on both young princes:

• The Agony of the Funeral Procession: Prince Harry criticized the demand placed on a 12-year-old child to walk behind his mother’s coffin before massive crowds and millions watching on television, stating that no child should ever be put through such an ordeal. Prince William echoed the immense trauma, comparing the sudden catastrophe to an emotional earthquake that shattered their reality and left him completely numb, disoriented, and struggling for years to accept the truth.