The One Value Prince Harry and Prince William Still Share That Is 'Pure Diana' (Exclusive)

The Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales are both prioritizing this commitment as parents

NEED TO KNOW

• Prince William and Prince Harry's fractured relationship shows no signs of healing, but the princes are bonded by a value their late mother, Princess Diana, taught them
• The ethos is "pure Diana," historian Amanda Foreman tells PEOPLE in this week's exclusive cover story
• The brothers remain divided by a painful rift, 28 years after Diana died in 1997

Prince William and Prince Harry may be estranged, but the royal brothers are raising their own children with a value that their late mother, Princess Diana, deeply instilled in them. 

Despite the emotional and physical distance between them, William and Harry have each created home lives grounded in a shared commitment to providing their children with a genuinely authentic upbringing — "and that is pure Diana," historian Amanda Foreman tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story.

Both brothers have also honored their mother, who died after a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, by giving their daughters her name as a middle name. 

The Prince of Wales, 43, and the Duke of Sussex, 40, often speak of her to their children, and her photograph is displayed throughout their homes. Prince William and Kate Middleton are parents to Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.

"The values they are instilling and discussing as families may be their best success," Foreman adds about Prince William and Prince Harry. "They are both very good role models as parents."

King Charles' sons remain divided by a bitter rift, 28 years after their mother's death, in a clash that exploded into public view in 2020 when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their royal duties. 

"Things were said that sparked the initial rift, and it’s never healed," says Princess Diana's biographer Andrew Morton.

In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry describes a tense 2019 confrontation where William criticized Meghan and, according to Harry, physically grabbed him by the collar, knocking him to the floor. The divide only deepened after the couple’s explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, followed by their Netflix docuseries and Harry’s bestselling book — each delivering sharp criticism of William, King Charles, Princess Kate, Queen Camilla and the institution they serve.

Says Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers: "The rift is very profound and very long-lasting. It will not be changed, in my opinion, until Harry makes a move and apologizes."

Adds Foreman: "Everyone wants it to happen on their terms, but that’s what makes it impossible."

Despite the distance between them, both brothers remain united in one shared vow: to honor their mother’s memory. Long before the siblings’ estrangement, Diana taught her sons what that legacy looked like: a new kind of royal life rooted not in pomp but in compassion. She didn’t just infuse their lives with normalcy through visits to amusement parks and burger joints; she also took them to shelters for the unhoused. 

Prince William has taken inspiration in his work to help the homeless, while Prince Harry found his calling in supporting young people affected by the AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa. It's a commitment Harry will continue after stepping back from Sentebale, the charity he co-founded in 2006, following a dispute with the organization's chair. 

Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award — the only charity to bear their mother’s name, and one that William and Harry now support separately — has witnessed the princes’ dedication firsthand. 

"I’ve seen how they watch young people who never met their mother articulate the impact she’s had on them. There is a sense of immense pride: 'Wow, my mother did that!' " Ojo tells PEOPLE. 

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Still, many royal insiders and experts agree that the brothers’ estrangement weakens the impact they could achieve as a unit. 

"If they could do anything together — properly and genuinely — the force would be a tsunami; it would be incredible," says Foreman.