In honor of Diana

Prince William: It was the enormity of the occasion and the pressure and all eyes on, as it were.  You just felt, wherever you went, people were watching you just because, you know, they were interested to see how you react.
Prince William: There's a lot of times that she was very sad because she'd been chased down the street by guys on motor bikes and stuff like this. 
Matt Lauer: Did she ever sit you down and talk about the fame and the weight that it presented?
Prince Harry: It was obvious.
Matt Lauer: Yeah.
Prince Harry: For both of us it was just so obvious when she comes back from doing whatever she'd been doing whether it was tennis and she'd been chased down the road or doing public engagement.  It was clear to see that the pressure that she was under sometimes, depending on where she'd been and what she'd been doing.

They learned early in life that the press could be cruel.

As much as Diana's fairy-tale wedding to Prince Charles had captivated the world, their bitter separation and divorce made for even juicier headlines. Reporters followed Diana everywhere, documented her every romantic liaison and scrutinized her in ways few people could endure.

Prince William: I really remember one story in particular that was just quite hard for her to deal with was -- was when she was criticized -- personally about her body.  And someone had said something about you know she'd have cellulite or something like that.  And I remember that for a woman you know in the public eye and she tried you know she's so hard, very glamorous and meant a lot.
Prince Harry: Always in the gym...
Prince William: Yeah and always in the gym.  You know but for any woman I imagine it's outrageous that you know these people sit behind their desks and comment on it.  And you know there were many times that we just sort of you know had to cheer up and tell her that she was you know the best thing ever.

But they could only cheer her up so much. In 1993, Diana announced she was cutting back on her charity appearances. She just couldn't stand the media crush. But the ugly details of the royal split soon spilled into public view.

In 1994, when William was 12, and Harry was 9, their father, Prince Charles, admitted in a TV interview that while he was married to Diana, he'd carried on an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. A year later, Diana gave her own interview to the BBC, confessing her bulimia, her own adultery and her acute awareness of Camilla.

A royal soap opera that assured the press would keep hounding Diana, literally until the moment of her death. Afterward, the world mourned her. Thousands of people left bouquets, stuffed animals and personal notes at the gates of her London palace. William and Harry, just 15 and 12 at the time, walked behind her casket before millions of people. What was it like to be on the inside, looking out?

Prince Harry: After our mother's death, there was so much of us being in the public.  And then being seeing stuff on TV and reading stuff saying, "Oh, they show no emotion," that sort of stuff.  You know, that's our public side?  If we don't feel comfortable pouring our eyes out in front of thousands of people, then that's our problem.  You know, we got each other to talk to.
Matt Lauer: It's also your right.
Prince Harry: Yeah, well, exactly.  You know, people can portray that as much as they want.  But we've got each other to talk to.
Matt Lauer: I remember in the months following there was this kind of cry to the media, "Leave the boys and give them time."  Did you feel that that worked?  Did you feel that you were given a break for a while?
Prince William: It didn't really matter, you know, whether they did, in a way.  Because it was just the enormity of the occasion and the pressure and all eyes on, as it were.  You just felt, wherever you went, people were watching you,  just because, you know, they were interested to see how you react or what you're thinking because of that. And that was quite hard.  I think at the end of the day, the media, you know, you just, you just shut that out.
Matt Lauer: In the days after your mom died I do remember consciously thinking that it was good that you had each other that you weren't only children.  That you could lean on each other.  Have you talked about that?
Prince William: Yeah.
Prince Harry: Well, yeah, of course we have.  We are both very grateful that, you know, each of us were there as a shoulder to cry on if we needed to.

The news media for the most part kept a respectful distance as William graduated from Eton, England's premier private school, then went on to St. Andrews University in Scotland. Harry, too, went to Eton, then to Sandhurst Military Academy. William also attended Sandhurst after college, graduating after his younger brother. Both now serve in the military.

But the cameras were never far away, looking for hints as to how the boys got along with their father, Prince Charles. He'd been criticized while Diana was alive, for being distant with his sons. Was he more affectionate now? And what about Charles' new wife, Camilla? His every appearance with her was studied for insights into royal family dynamics.

As William and Harry reached adulthood, the spotlight on them sometimes grew white hot. Harry in particular has been burned more than once. When he was 17, an experiment with marijuana landed him on the front page. He's been photographed in rowdy scenes at fancy nightclubs, making many a headline writer's day. In 2005, he landed on the front page once again when he showed up at a costume party in a Nazi uniform, an embarrassing incident for which he issued a formal apology.

Prince William: You know, Harry's had…
Prince Harry: Careful what you say.
Prince William: …his fair share of hard time by the media.  And at the end of the day, no matter what you think, the only person you're ever going to get to know to be able to form that opinion is him.  No matter what you read or what you see, you're never going to know someone unless you actually get to meet them and talk to them properly. That's what I say about everyone.
Prince Harry: That's actually the most amusing point is meeting somebody and them going, "You're so not what I thought you were."  And to both of us on to, you know, to our father, to everybody.  You're not what I thought you were, and, "Well, what did you think?"  "Oh, I best not say it to your face," like this.  Well, thanks a lot.
Matt Lauer: I hope you mean that they're pleasantly surprised and not disappointed by you.
Prince Harry: Well, it's not.  It's because they believe what they read, which is...
Matt Lauer: Right.
Prince Harry: You know, God knows what is said in the papers that we don't read about that, you know, it's just poisonous.
Matt Lauer: If you look at a Madonna or you look at a Michael Jordan -- incredibly famous at a certain period of their lives.  But there will come a time in their lives where people will look at them on the street and go, "He used to be famous."  Michael Jordan used to play basketball.  You two are going to be famous every day of your lives.
Prince William: Well…
Prince Harry: There's a difference.
Prince William: …we don't know about that; maybe.
Matt Lauer: Well I mean you will always be holding the position you hold.
Prince Harry: But I think it's very different when you're famous for sport, famous for this and this. You know we were born into it.  If you're born into it I think it's normal to feel as though you don't really want it, if that makes sense.  Whereas other people have got the fame whether they want it or, but...
Matt Lauer: They choose it.
Prince Harry: …they choose it, or they're just so naturally talented at a sport that that's what comes with it and they've got to deal with it, like David Beckham.
Prince William: But he likes selling himself.  So he's fine with that.
Matt Lauer: But is it daunting to think about how long this is probably going to last for you?
Prince William: Again, you just don't want to, you don't really think about it, you know?  You just take every day as it comes and -- and get on with stuff.
Matt Lauer: Do you ever get in a situation where you were in school or you're in a military and you befriend somebody or, maybe more importantly, they befriend you.  And you start to wonder, "Do they like me because I'm Harry or because I'm William or because I'm that Harry and that William?"
Prince William: It goes through your mind every time you meet someone new, every time you go out and meet some people or whatever. And it's one thing I'm really sort of quite guarded about.  And I know Harry is as well. 

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