In honor of Diana

Prince Harry: You know, it still upsets me now, the fact that we didn't have as much of a chance as other children to spend time with her. 
Matt Lauer: It occurred to me in looking back that your mom lived three separate lives all at the same time.  She was a mom.  She was a princess, arguably the most famous woman in the entire world. And she was also a ... What do you remember most in terms of her work for other and helping other people?
Prince William: She didn't want praise for it.  She did it because she cared.  And it was a massive quality of hers which was why she became so big. She wanted to give so much love and give so much care to people who really needed it.

Princess Diana was a champion of many causes, like relief for victims of landmines and shelter for the homeless. She was one of the first prominent people to reach out to AIDS patients, literally.

Matt Lauer: Was there a time in your lives when you were younger that your folks sat you down and talked about the responsibility of helping others?  Did you have that kind of a talk?
Prince William: Not as formal as you put it, but you know it was always a topic. You get onto a certain subject and its then like, well you know, there are certain things that you have to do that are really difficult.  And no one wants to do but you've got to do them. Or that there's all these sort of life lessons.  You know you've got to take responsibility for self and for other people.  All the sorts of things you talk about as families.
Matt Lauer: As young guys though, I mean, what about sports, what about girls and all this stuff.  How did that come, how did that responsibility feel to you?
Prince Harry: Well, I think it all came as the same package.  I mean without sounding cheesy it was just sort of when we're around our mother. It would just come out in conversation about you know what she'd been doing that day or how she felt, how we were feeling at school and stuff like this.
Matt Lauer: So it wasn't as much what she said.  It's just the way she lived.
Prince William: It's the way…
Matt Lauer: You learned by osmosis.
Prince Harry: It's the way she was the whole time. She was doing so much more behind the scenes. 

They say their mom didn't only stick up for causes she valued; she stuck up for the people she valued.

Prince William: I learned about how she'd always keep an eye on people who worked for her or people she knew who were friends; she always used to keep a little eye on what their lives, the ups and downs.  She'd always be there on the downs for her friends.  She was massively strong like that and gave us both reservoirs of strength.

In the royal family, child-rearing is often left to nannies and tutors. But Diana was a hands-on mother, showering the boys with love and protecting them from the cameras that seemed to follow her everywhere.

Matt Lauer: As a mom -- what are your greatest memories? 
Prince Harry: You've got to understand we were so young.  I mean, I was twelve.  He was fourteen.
Prince William: Fourteen, yeah.
Prince Harry: Fourteen.
Matt Lauer: Yeah.
Prince Harry: Fifteen and you know, it still upsets me now, the fact that we didn't have much of a chance as…
Matt Lauer: Right.
Prince Harry: …as children to sort of spend time with her.  But the time we did spend with her was amazing and as a mother, as anybody would say about their mother, just amazing. 

Some of their memories, anyone can relate to.  Like the time their mom took them to Disney world.

Prince William: Everywhere we went, everyone was really sweet to us.  But you know one of the things that we kept sort of joking about was about how many times we were told to watch our heads and mind our step.
Prince Harry: In many ways.
Prince William: She said, "Watch your step."
Prince Harry: Have a nice day.
Prince William: "Have a nice day," all this sort of stuff.  And it was classic, we had a really good fun time.

We also asked about something else we'd read -- Diana’s nickname for William, the future king of England.

Matt Lauer: She used to call you "Wombat."  Which is cute…
Prince William: Yeah.
Matt Lauer: …when you're seven.
Prince William: Yeah.
Matt Lauer: I guess you don't want your mates in the pub going, "Hey Wombat,  how are you?"
Prince William: It kind of stuck with me.  I can't get rid of it now.
Matt Lauer: Well where did that come from?
Prince William: It began when I was two. I've been rightfully told because I can't remember back that far.  But when we went to Australia with our parents, and the wombat, you know, that's the local animal.  So I just basically got called that.  Not because I look like a wombat.  Or maybe I do.
Matt Lauer: Does it make you cringe now?
Prince Harry: You know what it was.  He was still crawling at six. 
Matt Lauer: He was?
Prince Harry: He still couldn't walk.  He was still, lazy.
Matt Lauer: So all right just get him back. What's his nickname?
Prince William: Oh, Ginger.  Whatever.  You can call him whatever you want.  Most of them I can't call in front of here.  You know, a bit rude.  He's got plenty.
Matt Lauer: Ginger?
Prince Harry: I know exactly.  You're so surprised as I am.  I don't think I'm Gin...
Prince William: Apart from the fact you are.
Prince Harry: Shall we not?  Let's not.

Cute kids nicknamed Wombat and Ginger who've grown up into polo-playing princes who, as young adults, understand better than ever the constant pressure their mother faced from the ever present cameras.

Prince Harry: She wasn't always herself in the camera. She was much more natural behind the scenes when there was no one else there.
Prince William: Yeah.
Prince Harry: And she could be herself.  It was...
Matt Lauer: Did you notice that when by the way you would see coverage and you'd see her on camera and say, "That's not quite mom?"
Prince Harry: Well, she was; I don't know whether it's the right thing to say.  But she was quite good at acting.  If you know what I mean.  She wasn't acting as though trying to be somebody that she wasn't.  But very much trying to be as normal as she could in front of the cameras which she hated so much.

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