Royal expert reveals Prince William’s ‘greatest tribute to his mother’ Princess Diana as he celebrates her 63rd birthday

A royal expert has revealed how Prince William is 'missing' his late mother Princess Diana as he goes through a trying time with his family - and shared what his ‘greatest tribute’ to her legacy is on what would have been her 63rd birthday. 

Princess Diana's legacy is far reaching, not only in her charity work but also in popular culture with depictions of her life, as well as her death in 1997, like in Netflix's The Crown, capturing the hearts of many - some of whom weren't even born when she passed away and was buried at her childhood home. 

But, of course, while many people miss the people's Princess, no one has felt her absence quite like her two sons Prince William and Prince Harry. And, on 1 July, what would have been her 63rd birthday, a royal expert has revealed that her absence would have been particularly difficult to bear for William as he tries to keep family life normal for his kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, as they all come to terms with Kate Middleton's shock cancer diagnosis. 

"There have been times in this past year when William has looked incredibly alone, shouldering the responsibility of being a son whose father has cancer, a husband caring for his wife as she also deals with cancer, a father of three young children... and who has no brother or mother to turn to for a bit of TLC," former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine. 

She added, "That was the phrase that Diana used so often, especially in our chats together at Kensington Palace. She always said that she was incredibly good at giving tender loving care [TLC], and she obviously would have given that in buckets full to her darling son.

"There are other members of the family who have given William all the support they can, but nothing really replaces a loving mother who will protect and guide you."

But while he is missing his mother, he is making sure to carry on her legacy and working hard to do what she can no longer, including with a project inspired by his mother that he hopes will keep his kids' feet on the ground, something that Bond says she would be incredibly proud of.

"William’s greatest tribute to his mother is his determination to carry on her legacy, particularly on issues such as homelessness and mental health," she said. "And he is bringing his children up with the same values that Diana instilled in him."

This determination isn't something that came naturally to William, but, as he revealed in the ITV documentary Diana, Our Mother, something he honed to make sure he could become somewhere Diana would be 'proud' of. 

Speaking about his mother's death, William shared, "It’ll either make or break you. And I wouldn’t let it break me, I wanted it to make me. I wanted her to be proud of the person I'd become.

"I didn't want her worried or her legacy to be, you know, that William and/or Harry were completely and utterly devastated by it."

In other royal news, Queen Elizabeth II's heartwarming approach to motherhood has been revealed in rare letter - and the note includes a hilarious joke about young King Charles III. Plus, it's clear that Prince George, Charlotte and Louis have been keeping their granddad up to date with pop-culture as the King made a hilarious joke in a recent speech. And, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis will spend their school break enjoying ‘picnics, barbecues and beach games’ as the Wales family looks to a ‘brighter future’.