Princes William and Harry praise Diana’s legacy at an event in London

London
cnn
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Prince William praised his mother, Diana, the late Princess of Wales, at an event in London on Thursday, saying she taught him that everyone “has the potential to give something back.”

The event, which marks the 25th anniversary of the Diana Award, also saw Prince Harry, William’s brother, speaking to the winners via video call, making it one of the few occasions in which both princes have participated. since the Duke of Sussex stepped down from royal duties.

In his speech, William told the audience that he and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, have tried to focus on Diana’s legacy through their own work.

“I know it would have been an honor for her to see a charity in her name doing such inspiring work to uplift young people from all corners of the world,” the Prince of Wales said, according to Kensington Palace.

“She taught me that we all have the potential to give back, that everyone in need deserves a supporting hand in life,” he said, adding, “I am so proud to see this belief of my mother manifested in the incredible young people.” who receive the Legacy Award tonight.”

During the event, the heir to the British throne also met with staff and supporters of the award, as well as presenting the Legacy Award to this year’s recipients.

Harry spoke separately to the 20 Legacy Prize winners via livestream following the ceremony at the Science Museum in London.

“Thank you so much for inspiring so many others while protecting my mother’s legacy. I really appreciate it,” the duke said during the 30-minute video call.

In addition to the honour, award winners are supported with personal and professional development to expand their social work and enable them to continue inspiring other young people to do the same.

Meanwhile, William’s appearance occurs in the middle of frantic speculation over his wife’s status and well-being, which intensified after Kensington Palace released a family photo featuring her that was later revealed to have been digitally altered.

Kate has not been seen in public for months after an abdominal operation in a London hospital that the palace said was planned but required upcoming events to be erased from her diary due to a long recovery period.

The palace might have hoped that Sunday’s photo, released to mark Mother’s Day, would calm growing confusion and concern about the princess. But instead it caused a firestorm of controversy after international photo agencies removed it, expressing concern that it had been digitally manipulated.

Kate took responsibility and apologized for what she said was an “experiment” in photo editing. But her brief statement did not explain why or how she had edited the image, and no new photographs of the princess have been released since.

The Diana Legacy Awards are held every two years and recognize young leaders in the name of William and Harry’s late mother Diana.

It was set two years after Diana’s death in a 1997 car accident in Paris. William said in his speech on Thursday night that 50,000 people had received the Diana Award in the last 25 years.

The brothers made separate contributions to Thursday night’s ceremony. That of the Duke of Sussex appeared virtually; He lives in the United States, following his split from working royals in 2020 along with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

Since then, the brothers’ relationship has become increasingly cold. Harry wrote in his memoir “Spare” that William attacked him during an argumentand called his older brother “difficult,” “rude,” and “abrasive.”

They have appeared together at royal events commemorating the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III, and occasionally at events related to Diana’s legacy, but otherwise have rarely crossed paths in public.