Prince William vowed a touching pledge to his mother, Princess Diana years ago — one that, based on a new RadarOnline report, he would never get the opportunity to fulfill.

The Prince of Wales was only 14 when his mother forfeited her "Her Royal Highness" (HRH) title as part of her 1996 divorce agreement from then-Prince Charles, now King Charles III.

In RadarOnline's exclusive story, insiders said the loss of Diana's HRH status hurt her enormously. She would still be called Diana, Princess of Wales, but would have to curtsy to her former husband, her sons, and other senior members of the royal family.

In a heartwarming gesture, young William attempted to reassure his mother.
"Don't worry, Mummy, I will give it back to you one day when I am king," William is said to have told Diana.

Diana's ex-butler, Paul Burrell, said the promise left her in tears. A pal of the late princess told the news outlet, "Diana was incredibly touched by what William said – she told friends it was one of the kindest things he'd ever done for her."

The source added that the gesture indicated how deep the emotional connection was between mother and son.

"Even as a teenager, William was remarkably empathetic," they explained. "He could see how much the loss of her title hurt her, and he just wanted to take that pain away in the only way he knew how."

Only a year later, on August 31, 1997, Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris at the age of 36 — only 368 days after her divorce became official, as per E!Online. The vow her oldest son had given her would never be kept.

"It's heartbreaking when you think about it," a royal source said to the source. "Diana's loss was the defining wound of William's life, and that small promise became symbolic of everything he couldn't protect her from. The tragedy is that he'll never get to fulfill it — no matter what kind of king he becomes

Diana's divorce agreement gave her a $20 million cash payment and annual maintenance but permanently deprived her of HRH status — a move Queen Elizabeth II sanctioned to keep the monarchy and divorced princess at arm's length.

Friends of Diana recalled that she frequently reminded William to "lead with compassion.
A source familiar with the family said, "Diana always used to say to William that if he was fortunate enough to get real love, he should guard it and never let it slip away. He's done that with his wife Catherine – it's the only part of her advice he has really followed."

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Prince William, Royal family news