William gives emotional speech about mum Diana ONE HOUR after Meghan Markle launches new business in glitzy Insta post
PRINCE William gave an emotional speech tonight about his mum Diana one hour after Meghan Markle launched her new business in a glitzy Instagram post.
The Prince of Wales said that his mother taught him that “everyone has the potential to give something back”, as he paid tribute to her at the Diana Legacy Award.
William attended the event at the Science Museum in London on Thursday night in person, where he gave a speech to mark the charity’s 25th anniversary.
And Harry is also set to play his part, chatting to and congratulating the winners – but he will appear over a video link from California.
The Duke of Sussex’s moment will also come after Wills has already left for the night, according to The Times.
William told the audience that he and his wife, the Princess of Wales, have sought to focus on Diana’s legacy through their work.
“This evening’s Legacy Award is particularly special as it marks the 25th anniversary year of The Diana Award, a charity set up to reflect my mother’s belief that young people can change the world,” he said.
“I know that she would have been honoured to see a charity in her name doing such inspirational work to uplift young people from all corners of the globe.”
He said that his mother taught him that that “everyone in need deserves a supporting hand in life”.
“She taught me that everyone has the potential to give something back; that everyone in need deserves a supporting hand in life,” he said.
“That legacy is something that both Catherine and I have sought to focus on through our work, as have the 50,000 young people who have received a Diana Award over the past 25 years.
“I am so proud to see this belief of my mother’s manifested in the amazing young people receiving the Legacy Award tonight.”
Last year the princes recorded separate videos to congratulate the winners as they celebrated Princess Diana’s globally recognised charity work.
It came in stark contrast to their unity of previous years.
In 2021 they appeared at the event together, with Harry telling the crowd: “Later this week, my brother and I are recognising what would have been our mum’s 60th birthday, and she would be so proud of you all for living an authentic life with purpose and with compassion for others.”
It comes as Meghan’s newest business venture launched on the day of Princess Diana’s memorial awards.
Royal fans took to Twitter after spotting the new page, with one writing: “I am too excited for whatever this is.”
A mysterious new Instagram account for ‘American Riviera Orchard’ appeared online this evening.
The account’s biography says the brand is “by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex” and visitors are linked to a website where they can join a mailing list.
And now industry insiders have told Page Six that the site will focus on home, food, garden and lifestyle goods.
The source said: “She’s been working on this for over a year and it’s all the things that are close to her heart — all the things she’s passionate about.”
The account launched this afternoon, hours before Prince Harry was due to appear in a video message at Princess Diana’s Legacy Award event in London.
Meanwhile royal Biographer Angela Levin has blasted Harry for agreeing to talk over video link, after William has left.
She told The Sun: “It’s a continuation of how badly they get on together.
“William’s absolutely furious with Harry and Harry’s being petulant. It’s not even childish at this point, his behaviour is disgusting.”
Angela added that the brother’s close bond was forged after Diana’s death but destroyed in recent years.
She said: “Harry has tried to make out his mother is more concerned with him than she was with William, which is also a spiteful thing to do.
“I mean, he told me that he felt he was still in contact with his mother.
“And looking, looked up to the heavens as he said that she was proud of him.
“I don’t think your brother really wants to hear all that. It’s very unkind to assume that his mother likes him much more, and is in touch with him through the heavens rather than William. It’s a very unkind thing.”
Dr Tessy Ojo, chief executive of the Diana Award, said: “It’s a privilege to have the support of both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex — particularly as we mark our 25th anniversary year.”
It’s a continuation of how badly they get on together. William’s absolutely furious and they’re going to do things separately from now on
Angela Levin
Kensington Palace said: “The Prince [of Wales] will meet key staff and supporters of the Diana Award, before joining the ceremony where he will hear about the recipients’ work, make a short speech and present Legacy Awards to this year’s winners.”
Earlier today Prince William seemed in high spirits during a visit to WEST, the new OnSide Youth Zone in west London.
While chatting to kids at the event and struggling with icing, a bashful Wills admitted: “My wife is the arty one. Even my children are artier than me.”
As he laughed with the kids he brushed off the saga surrounding his wife Princess Kate’s edited Mother’s Day picture.
The Princess of Wales was said to be “very sad” that a sweet photograph of her family had triggered a global furore.
She admitted to “experimenting with editing” after eagle-eyed fans picked up on dozens of mistakes – including a blurred sleeve, Charlotte’s misaligned skirt and Kate’s mismatched zip.
Tonight’s event comes amid rumours the brothers’ rift began as far back as 2018.
The first hints of friction between the brothers reportedly came after William was introduced to Meghan when she was staying at Kensington Palace.
‘SIMMERING TENSIONS’
The Sun told how “simmering tensions” began when William questioned the speed of Harry and Meghan’s engagement.
Harry, 39, later hinted in his ITV documentary Harry and Meghan, An African Journey that he and his brother had grown apart.
But last month it emerged the royal rift was rumoured to have taken off over the brothers’ differing approach to wildlife conservation.
The pair share a passion for preserving protected species but they had opposing views on how to carry it out in Africa.
William favoured “community-led initiatives”, while Harry supported a “more interventionist approach”.
And last year Harry claimed his brother “knocked him to the floor” during an argument about Meghan.
In his book Spare, Harry said William branded Meghan “rude” and “difficult” during a row.
Harry alleged William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor”.
He said he was left with a visible injury to his back following the argument in 2019 at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, where he was living at the time.
It comes after it was revealed Prince Philip called Meghan the “D.O.W” after the Duchess of Windsor — the American divorcee who led Edward VIII to abdicate.
And he warned the late Queen to be “cautious” of Harry’s then bride-to-be, a royal author claims.
Ingrid Seward revealed in new book My Mother And I that Prince Philip felt it was “uncanny…how much Meghan reminded him of the Duchess of Windsor“.
The brothers were last seen together ahead of the late Queen’s funeral in 2022, when they appeared to come together to put on a united front with their wives.
Prior to that they were seen together in public at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June the same year.