Princess Diana ‘embarrassed’ Prince William during famous Thorpe Park trip

Princess Diana reportedly ‘embarrassed’ Prince William during their trips to Thorpe Park in the 90's

Princess Diana
(Image credit: Julian Parker / Contributor / Getty Images)

A royal biographer has revealed that Prince William was embarrassed by his mother Princess Diana when they went on their iconic trip to Thorpe Park with his brother Prince Harry.

• Princess Diana took Prince Harry and William on trips to Thorpe Park in 1991, 1992, and 1993.
• A royal biographer has revealed that Prince Wiliam was embarrassed by his mother on these trips.
• In other royal news, Prince Charles proves even royals struggle with face mask mishaps in hilarious new photos.


During Princess Diana’s life, she wanted to ensure that her children had a normal childhood, despite being in line for the throne. Prince William and his brother Harry have often spoken about their mother’s attempts to bring normality to their life. 

Royal author, Duncan Larcombe, revealed in an ITV documentary titled ‘Secrets of the Royal Babies: Meghan and Harry’ that Diana wanted her children to have a normal life. He said, “Diana made sure William and Harry lived as much as a normal life as possible and as parents, William and Harry will always be influenced by their mother.”

In the same ITV documentary, Princess Diana’s former chief of staff Patrick Jephson stated that she ensured they had normal experiences. He said, “She made sure that they experienced things like going to the cinema, queuing up to buy a Mcdonald’s, going to amusement parks, those sorts of things that were experiences that they could share with their friends.”

However, one royal biographer has claimed that these trips Princess Diana took with her children were not always a source of comfort for Prince William. Howard Hodgson, claimed, “It wasn’t that he didn’t love her—he did, very much—but he wished she could behave differently.”

He went on to say that the young Prince didn’t appreciate his mother’s “one-sided and unfair attitude to his father” and hated them “being put on show by the Princess in theme parks.”

Princess Diana

(Image credit: Julian Parker / Contributor / Getty Images)

Howard Hodgson went on to say, “‘He didn’t want to be some kind of urban kid — he longed to hunt and fish and play polo with his father; and he found his mother’s mood swings very unsettling. All in all, he found that being with his mother could, at times, be a considerable emotional burden.”

It was speculated by many journalists at the time that Princess Diana would use these trips to public places in order to ‘be seen.’ But since her death, both of the Princes have spoken warmly about the time they spent with their mother during these excursions.

In a 2017 documentary titled ‘Diana, Our Mother: Her Life And Legacy,’ both Prince William and Harry praised their mother’s parenting.

Prince William said, “She made the decision that, no matter what, despite all of the difficulties of growing up in that limelight and on that stage, she was going to ensure that both of us had as normal a life as possible.”

Prince Harry also told a sweet anecdote and revealed that she would treat the boys to sweets when watching them play football. He said, “She was one of the naughtiest parents... One of her mottos to me was, 'You can be as naughty as you want, just don't get caught.' She would come and watch us play football and smuggle sweets into our socks.”

He continued to fondly recall, "I mean, like, literally [I would be] walking back from the football match with…five packets of Starburst. And just the whole shirt was just bulging with sweets."

Prince Harry and Prince William will reunite to unveil a statue of Princess Diana this summer as the two are expected to come together to remember their late mother.

Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.