Princess Diana's Charities: How Her Children Are Involved

Mention "Princess Diana," and anyone over 30 will call to mind the lovely Diana Frances Spencer, who married Britain's Prince Charles in a huge 1981 fairy tale wedding. The marriage, however, was far from a fairy tale. After much angst and despair, Charles and Diana divorced in 1996. Throughout her life in the royal spotlight, Diana found meaning and comfort through charity work. She favored charities that helped others, with children, the poor, AIDS victims, landmine removal being some of Diana's best-known causes.

Tragically, Diana's life was cut short at the age of 36 when she was killed in a Paris car crash in 1996, along with current boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed.

What about Diana's charities today? Are her sons William and Henry (usually known as Harry) involved?

Prince William's Charity Work

Prince William, born in 1982, will most likely one day be King of England. Like his mother Diana, William has always exhibited a sensitivity to others. He wants to understand the lives of his future subjects.

In 2009, William spent the night on a London street in an attempt to understand the plight of the homeless. "I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London's streets night after night, " William said of the night, in which he was joined by the chief executive of Centrepoint, a charity Princess Diana supported.

As a patron of the Child Bereavement Charity, also sponsored by Princess Diana, William spoke of the pain of losing his mother: "I too have felt - still feel - the emptiness on such a day as Mother's Day." William's involvement in this charity helps children who have lost a parent.

Prince Harry's Charity Work

Younger son Harry, born in 1984, has continued Princess Diana's work in building awareness of landmine issues. In 2010 he spent two days in Mozambique, visiting sites being cleared of landmines by the HALO Trust, a British charity dedicated to the destruction of landmines.

In memory of Diana, Harry co-founded a charity named Sentebale, with Lesotho's Prince Seeiso. Meaning "Forget Me Not," Sentebale helps AIDS victims and other poor in the African nation of Lesotho.

Harry has even found a way to make play into charity, as he participated in a charity polo match in New York in 2009 to benefit Sentebale.

"My mother would be proud ... I'm out here because I want to be ... it's where I have to be," Harry said at the opening of school for disadvantaged children in Lesotho.

William joined Harry on a trip to Africa to view Sentebale's work in June 2010.

Princess Diana's Legacy Lives On

It seems clear that Prince William and Prince Henry are carrying on Diana's legacy. No doubt she would be happy to see her boys grown into caring adults who are continuing her efforts to help the less privileged.

SOURCES:

Look to the Stars: Princess Diana's Charity Work