We let our mother down, failed to protect her: William and Harry

London: Britain’s Princes William and Harry felt they let their mother down as they failed to protect her, according to a new documentary being shot to mark Princess Diana’s 20th death anniversary in August.

Mr William and Mr Harry, the second and fifth in line to the British throne, were 15 and 12 respectively when Diana, Princess of Wales, died.

They have opened up about their mother who was killed in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, for this first time in the BBC film tentatively titled “Diana”.

“Part of the reason why Harry and I want to do this is because we feel we owe it to her. I think an element of it is feeling like we let her down when we were younger. We couldn’t protect her,” says Mr William, the Duke of Cambridge, in the documentary.

“We feel we at least owe her 20 years on to stand up for her name and remind everybody of the character and person that she was. Do our duties as sons in protecting her,” he said.

His younger brother Prince Harry said the outpouring of emotion and love following the death of Diana was “shocking” to him as a young boy.

“It was beautiful at the same time, and it was amazing, now looking back at it, it was amazing that our mother had such a huge effect on so many people.

“I think it’s never going to be easy for the two of us to talk about our mother, but 20 years on seems like a good time to remind people of the difference that she made not just to the royal family but also to the world,” he said.

The 90-minute documentary has been announced as part of 35 hours of new commissions across history, science, religion, documentaries and factual entertainment on the BBC for the coming season.