The Prince of Wales has marked a reflective Mothering Sunday with a deeply personal tribute to his mother, sharing a previously unseen childhood photograph and acknowledging those mourning a loved one on the day.
In a message posted on the social media platform X, Prince William wrote: “Remembering my mother, today and every day. Thinking of all those who are remembering someone they love today. Happy Mother’s Day. W”. The post was accompanied by a photograph from the family’s private collection, published online for the first time, which shows Diana, Princess of Wales, with a two-year-old William in a field of flowers at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire in 1984.
The tribute carries added poignancy this year, as Diana would have celebrated her 65th birthday on July 1st. She died aged 36 in a road accident in Paris on 31 August 1997, when Prince William was 15 years old.
A lasting personal impact
The Prince of Wales has spoken in the past about the enduring effect of his mother’s loss. In a 2017 BBC One documentary, he described the shock of bereavement as something that “never leaves you,” adding that one never fully gets over such a significant loss. He has also shared that he ensures his own children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, know who their grandmother was, regularly talking about her so they understand she existed.
The setting of the shared photograph, Highgrove House, is itself steeped in family history. The Gloucestershire residence was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall in 1980 and served as the main country home for the then-Prince Charles and Diana. William and his brother, Prince Harry, spent much of their childhood there, and William inherited the property when his father acceded to the throne as King Charles III. The gardens, known for their organic principles, have been open to the public since 1996.
Notably, this year’s Mother’s Day message from the Prince and Princess of Wales did not include a current photograph of the couple with their children. This follows the controversy in 2024 when the Princess apologised for sharing a digitally altered family picture.
Royal family shares archival images
The wider Royal Family also used the occasion to share a selection of archival photographs on their official social media channels. The posts were accompanied by the message: “Wishing Mothers everywhere, and those who might be missing their Mums today, a restful Mothering Sunday.”
One image shows a young King Charles, then Prince of Wales, with his sister Princess Anne and their mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, on a garden bench at Balmoral in 1953. The Queen’s corgi, Sue, is visible in the background. The photograph predates the births of Charles’s younger brothers, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Other photographs shared included the late Queen Elizabeth II with her own mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, in an image from 1951. A picture of Queen Camilla with her late mother, Rosalind Shand, was also published. Rosalind Shand, who died in 1994, was known for her charity work, volunteering for 17 years at the Chailey Heritage Foundation, a cause her daughter Camilla has continued to support as patron.
The Prince of Wales’s first official public engagement alongside his mother was at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on St David’s Day in 1991, an appearance where the young prince was described as shy but charming. His Mother’s Day tribute continues a tradition of royal acknowledgements on the day, which in previous years have included cards made by his children for Diana and photographs of other senior royals with their mothers.
