A Royal Rebel: How Princess Diana Defied Protocol for Harry and William

Princess Diana became a mother quite early — she was only 21 years old when she was pregnant with William. Harry was born two years later. She took motherhood very seriously and tried to spend as much time as possible with her sons. For their sake, Lady Di broke protocol and behaved differently than the royal family expected: she chose the children's names herself and breastfed the babies.

In November 1985, Diana confessed in an interview that the most important thing for her is to be a mother and a wife, saying that she is trying her best at it. The monarch later added: "I live for my sons. I would be lost without them."

Royal protocol made no mention of official travel with the children, but Lady Di insisted on touring Australia with 9-month-old William. The tour lasted 1.5 months. "William and Harry were very, very fortunate with Diana as a mother because her ideas were so different to the previous generation," said royal expert Christopher Warwick.

Diana gave up her job as a kindergarten teacher when she married Prince Charles to take on royal duties. The two-time mother has always tried to work around her sons' schedules to spend more time with them.

"In her official calendar, the princess had all the everyday details of her sons' lives marked in green ink," Newsweek magazine reported in 1997.

"She loved Harry and I. Even after 20 years, sitting here, I still feel that love, I still feel that warmth 20 years on, which is a huge testament to her," William said in an interview.

Princess Diana took her children to school instead of hiring governesses like the rest of the royal family. She changed the royals' approach to education forever when she sent young William to Minors Nursery School in September 1985. The Duke of Cambridge became the first member of the royal family to receive a full education in the public school system.

Harry once confessed that their mother was a true child at heart: "All I can hear is her laugh in my head and that sort of crazy laugh of where there was just pure happiness shown on her face."

Princess Diana loved to fool around with her boys. On a trip to Necker Island in 1990, for example, she played in the sand with her sons and their friends, showing that monarchs have a right to have fun.

"She always understood that there was a real life outside of the palace walls," William said in a documentary about Diana's life.

Lady Di once broke royal protocol by embracing her sons after a five-day separation. Since then, Prince Harry has often reflected on what made Diana such a special mother: "I miss that feeling, I miss having that mother to give you those hugs and that compassion that everyone needs. Behind closed doors, she was a very loving, caring mother and an incredibly funny person."