Prince William made the sweetest promise to Diana before she died

Oh, our hearts.

Words by Jadie Troy-Pryde

Come August, it will be twenty years since the tragic death of Princess Diana and to commemorate her life ITV announced that they are working with both her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, on an intimate documentary.

Earlier this year, the Princes both decided to talk candidly for the first time about losing their mother as part of their Heads Together campaign. They were overwhelmed with support from the public who praised them for the honesty, and people were touched that they had opened up - particularly considering the royals are characteristically closed off when it comes to discussing their emotions.

But as more and more details of Diana's private life emerge in the run up to the anniversary of her death, it has been revealed that Prince William reportedly made a very sweet promise to his mother just a year before she died.

It's no secret that Princess Diana and Prince Charles had a turbulent relationship, and despite formally separating in December 1992 their divorce was not finalised until late 1996, almost four years later.

This is supposedly due to disagreements over money, access, and - most importantly - Diana's title.

According to the New York Times, Diana wished to keep the styling 'Her Royal Highness' considering that she was the mother of the future heir, and Queen Elizabeth II even agreed. But the publication claims that Prince Charles was 'adamant' that Diana would be stripped of the title and the privileges that come with it.

Without the prestigious 'HRH', Diana would have to comply with various royal rules, such as curtseying to her own children, and would lose all formal connection to her sons.

The Princess' former butler, Paul Burrell, recalls how Prince William - just 14 years old at the time - tried to comfort his mother and soothe her 'distress'.

In his book, A Royal Duty, Burrell writes: 'She told me how he had sat with her one night when she was upset over the loss of HRH, put his arms around her and said, 'Don't worry, Mummy. I will give it back to you one day when I am King.''

Diana died just one year after the divorce was finalised, but both William and Harry have continued to honour their late mother in everything they do - from their charity work endeavours, to the commissioning of commemorative statue of her in Kensington Palace.

We're sure Diana would be so proud of everything the sons are doing.