Princess Diana's sacrifice for Prince Harry after he was hospitalised revealed

published 13 December 2019

A former friend of Princess Diana's has given a rare insight into her private devotion to her sons as a mother, revealing that the royal once spent the night on a floor in order to be close to Prince Harry, who had been hospitalised.

Singer Patti Boulaye OBE, who described her friend Diana as 'wonderful', has revealed how when she first met the Princess of Wales, they had bonded over the stress and strain of having a son ill in hospital.

At the time, Prince Harry had undergone surgery in May 1988 after being diagnosed with a minor hernia and Patti's son Sebastian, had also been hospitalised.

Describing their very first conversation to the Mirror, Patti said: 'I said to her - you know, I just joked - and I said, "I'm so sorry how is [Harry], because you know, it was in the paper."'

'And she said, "Oh, he's good", and she said, "Oh, I'm so tired". I said, 'Well, I bet you didn't have to stay in the hospital!'.

'She said: "Oo, oh gosh, I wouldn't let him stay there on his own."'

'I said: "You stayed at the hospital?" She said: "Yes". And I said: "So did I". I said: "But you didn't sleep on the floor?" She said: "I did! They gave me a mattress".

'It was her decision to sleep next to him,' Patti continued. 'She must have been a mother and a half.'

'It was wonderful. She was so normal. This is what I loved about her.'

Prince Harry and Prince William at Princess Diana's memorial (Credit: Getty)

Prince Harry, who was only 12-years-old when Diana died, spoke at an event in the USA last year where he described his late mother as his 'ideal role model.'

'I will always look up to her as my ideal role model,' Harry said of Diana when speaking at the inaugural summit of former US president Barack Obama's foundation. 'Everything she did was having an impact, it was making a difference.'

Now that Prince Harry is about to become a parent himself, he will no doubt follow in his mum's footsteps when it comes to his parenting style.

Harry and Meghan's baby is due in spring, so it's only a few months until they can hold their little bundle of joy...

Trusted, informative, and empathetic – GoodToKnow is the ultimate online destination for parents. At GoodtoKnow, our mission is 'simple': we're trying to make sense of parenthood. On the site, you'll find everything you need for a happy, healthy family life. Our huge archive of content includes more than 18,000 articles and 1,500 how-to videos. These include expert-backed advice features on parenting, dealing with relationship changes after having a baby, self-care for mums and managing your family finances. We also feature tried-and-tested product reviews and buying recommendations for every stage of family life - from prams and Moses baskets to birthday gifts and top toys.