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By James Crawford-Smith
Royal Reporter
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Prince William's description of how he tackled life after his mother Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997 and of his desire to make her "proud" has gone viral, after a clip from a documentary marking the 20th anniversary of her passing has resurfaced on social media site, TikTok.
William was 15 years old when attempts to save Diana's life following a car crash in Paris were unsuccessful on August 31, 1997. His younger brother, Harry, was 12.
In the years since the crash, both brothers have spoken about their experiences with grief and building their lives without having their mother with them.
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In 2017, to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, William and Harry took part in documentaries where they discussed memories of the princess and how they keep her memory alive.
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Uploaded to TikTok by user, princess__jo, on December 31, footage of William speaking about his resolve not to let his mother's death "break" him has gone viral with views exceeding 190,000 on the platform so far.
"It'll either make or break you, and I wouldn't let it break me," the prince said of losing a parent at such a young age.
He also went on to voice that his desire to come through the tragic experience stemmed from a wish to make his mother "proud."
"I wanted it to make me," he said. "I wanted her to be proud of the person I would become. I didn't want her worried or that her legacy would be that, you know, William and or Harry were completely and utterly devastated by it and that all the hard work and all the love and all the energy she put into us when we were younger would go to waste."
Captioned "Your mother would be so proud of the man, husband and dad you have become," the video clip has received in excess of 7,000 likes and over 400 comments, many of which have praised the prince.
"Diana would be so very proud of William. He's going to make a wonderful people's king," wrote one TikTok user.
"His mum would be so proud of him," posted another, with a further comment reading: "Well Said William. Much Respect for you..."
Both William and Harry's experiences in 1997 were pulled into focus in 2022, when Netflix's hit royal drama The Crown recreated events surrounding the death of Princess Diana for its sixth and final season.
The show presented fictionalized conversations between Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki) and her sons on screen.
Prince Harry provided his own account of his reaction to his mother's death in his 2023 memoir, Spare.
In his book, the prince provided readers with a unique insight into the grief and denial felt by himself and William, revealing that for a time he did not believe that his mother had died in a car crash and had instead gone into hiding to evade the toxic press and paparazzi.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek*'s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on* Newsweek*'s The Royals Facebook page.*
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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