How Princess Diana Wasn't A Typical Royal Parent To William And Harry

Everybody knows that Princess Diana was a special kind of royal — and that goes for how she was as a mother to Prince William and Prince Harry as well. While the other members of the royal family may not have liked how she did everything, it's obvious that her two sons are grateful for the relationship that had with her. In a new documentary special on Lady Di on CNN, "Diana," commentators, journalists, and friends like Julie Montagu and Penny Junor described how she took a different approach to motherhood than royals typically did. Montagu called it "literally night and day."

In a speech commemorating the 10-year anniversary of her death, Prince Harry said, "She was our guardian, friend, and protector. She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated ... Behind the media glare, to us, just two loving children, she was quite simply the best mother in the world." So, what did she do that was so different?

In CNN's docuseries, "Diana," broadcaster and Viscountess Julie Montagu said that Princess Diana "ripped up that rulebook" when it came to how she was going to parent her two boys. "[She] said, 'Right I'm going to be a very hands-on mother." In the clip, journalist and friend Richard Kay said that Diana "worshipped" William and Harry and felt like her most important job was to be a good mom — not very normal for a royal mom. As royal commentator Penny Junor explained, "She was very demonstrative toward them," which was different because royals weren't usually very affectionate with each other in public. 

As you may have already guessed, the royal family has a ton of rules when it comes to parenting (did you know that princes aren't supposed to be dressed in long pants before the age of 8?), and we know that Diana did follow most of them. And it's true that Queen Elizabeth isn't a huge fan of any kind of PDA. But when it came to showing her kids all her love, Diana wasn't going to hold back.