Prince William’s Numbness and Solace in Scotland

In the 2017 BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days, William described his immediate reaction as “completely numb, disorientated, dizzy.” He remembered repeatedly asking: “Why me? Why has this happened to us?”

Just hours later, he attended church at Crathie Kirk, still in shock. William said he found comfort in both the service and the Scottish outdoors in the days that followed. “The connection I feel to Scotland will forever run deep,” he admitted, crediting the landscape with helping him cope.

Harry’s Recollection of His Father Breaking the News

In his memoir Spare, Harry described being woken by his father, now King Charles, to be told the news no child could bear. “I remember waiting patiently for Pa to confirm that indeed Mummy was all right. And I remember him not doing that,” Harry wrote. Instead, his father told him simply: “She didn’t make it.”

Harry explained: “These phrases remain in my mind like darts in a board. And then everything seemed to come to a stop.”

Speaking again in 2023, he revealed he was too shocked to cry at the time. “Never shed a single tear at that point. Twelve years old. Sort of—7, 7:30 in the morning. Your father comes in, sits on your bed, puts his hand on your knee and tells you, ‘There’s been an accident.’”

He added that Charles, not known for openly showing emotion, did not embrace him. “Pa didn’t hug me. His hand fell once more on my knee and he said, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ But after that, nothing was OK for a long time.”