The heartbreaking tradition that Prince Harry and Prince William will miss this year

Prince Harry and Prince William
(Image credit: Getty)

The heartbreaking tradition Prince Harry and Prince William will miss this year has been revealed.

Prince Harry and Prince William are set to miss the opportunity to meet up and share memories of their beloved mother on the 24th anniversary of her death.

Princess Diana was tragically killed in a car accident in Paris on 31st August 1997, aged 36.

Her sons Prince William and Harry were aged just 15 and 12 respectively and since her death, they have spent each anniversary together until now.

Prince Harry is living over in LA with his wife Meghan and their two children, Archie, two, and Lilibet Diana, aged two months. While Prince William is at Kensington Palace, London with his wife Kate and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Prince Harry and Prince William

(Image credit: Getty Images)

But not only has the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic made it difficult for the brothers to meet in person this year, their 'fall out' from the Oprah Winfrey interview has caused a strain.

Richard Fitzwilliams told Express.co.uk, “They always used to meet on this sad anniversary to relive memories of her.”

But instead, this year's poignant occasion will be marked separately, with Prince William doing something with his own family as he previously revealed he wants his children to grow up knowing "Granny Diana" and "who she was and that she existed".

Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William

Prince William also promised to one day give his mother her HRH title of 'Princess of Wales' back when he becomes king.

And Mr Fitzwilliams believes that in spite of the distance, the brothers will still communicate on August 31, the day of the Princess of Wales' untimely death, but in private means.

Prince Willam and Prince Harry at Princess Diana statue

“I think it likely they will be in touch but any contact between them will be private,” Mr Fitzwilliams added.

Lord Jay was the British ambassador in Paris when Princess Diana died in a crash on 31 August 1997 and he explains the moment he told the Palace of her death in the clip below...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0N6x8SSPoI

The brothers previously marked the day with a special memorial service on the 10th anniversary and commissioned two documentaries about their mother for the 20th anniversary.

And just last month they came together to unveil a statue memorial of Princess Diana in the sunken garden at Kensington Palace to mark her 60th anniversary.

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)