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Despite her passing 20 years ago, Princess Diana’s memory still lives on: through memorials, through books, through organizations that bear her name. But the true marker of her legacy isn’t a statue or a best seller: it’s her son, Prince Harry.
Although both her children have done a tremendous job preserving her memory, Harry in particular is emulating his late, great mother. Here are five different ways he’s carrying on her legacy, and showing that, although she may be gone, she is not forgotten.
His Charitable Causes
Generally, royals pick charities that reflect their interests: Prince Charles heads several environmental groups, and Camilla Parker Bowles is the patron of the National Osteoporosis Society, due to family history with the disease.
Prince Harry is known for his work with veterans and the military. But he also has two other causes that stand out: land mines and AIDS.
Astute royal watchers will remember that land mines and AIDS were Diana’s main missions. In 1987, she shook hands with an HIV-positive man, without gloves, which disbanded dangerous stigmas. She’s also largely credited with the success of the Ottawa Treaty, a 1997 piece of anti–land mine legislature.
Prince Harry is now picking up where she left off, making sure he preserves her accomplishments while doing so. This April, he gave a passionate speech about Diana on International Mine Awareness Day: “Twenty years ago, in the last months of her life, my mother campaigned to draw attention to the horrific and indiscriminate impact of land mines . . . let’s make future generations proud and finish what we started.”
His Undeniable Sincerity
With their posh education and impeccable media training, most royals have the traits of “polite,” “well spoken,” and “nice” down cold. But Prince Harry has one that can’t be taught: sincerity.
In a 2015 poll, Prince Harry was crowned Britain’s most popular royal—yes, ahead of Will, Kate, Charles, and the queen. The reason? People think he’s a genuine guy, and they like him. No, not “approve,” not “respect”—like.
Take it from Daphne Dunne, a 97-year-old woman from Australia who loves Prince Harry so much that she waited for hours to see him, twice: “He really is a lovely young [man] and he’s warm and genuine and really cares,” she said, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
This praise is remarkably similar to the type that Diana—called the “People’s Princess”—used to get. She had a “genius for people and she could connect with anyone,” her brother Charles Spencer said.
The British royal family is often accused of being cold, but Prince Harry, like Diana, melts the ice.
He Fights the Press
Much of Diana’s legacy is positive: the charity work, the charm, the fashion. Yet, there’s also a dark part—the press.
Diana was relentlessly hounded by them, much more so than other royals. She was young, beautiful, and embroiled in scandals. Many still blame the paparazzi for her death. “It is a point to remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the greatest was this: A girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the modern age,” Earl Spencer said in his eulogy.
As an adult, Prince Harry will not let himself, or his loved ones, be abused like Diana. Last November, Kensington Palace released a scathing statement regarding his relationship with Meghan Markle. “[She] has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public—the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and Web article comments,” it read. “It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game.’ He strongly disagrees. This is not a game—it is her life and his.”
He Uses Honesty as a Policy
Diana shattered protocol when she gave an unsanctioned interview to the BBC and opened up about her marriage, depression, and struggle with bulimia. This past June, Prince Harry followed in her footsteps when he confessed his own inner demons regarding his mother’s death and societal pressures to Newsweek.
Unlike many other members of the royal family, Prince Harry and Princess Diana realized that sharing struggles is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. By airing their own problems, it can help others who are hurting, too.
He’s Got a Wild Side
The public often calls Prince Harry the “Party Prince,” thanks to his wild antics and mischievous behavior. Turns out, that’s a trait he got from his fun-loving Diana.
In the HBO documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, the prince said his mother was “a total kid, through and through.” She’d smuggle sweets into his and William’s socks, sneak them into the movies, and one time, even invited a bunch of supermodels to embarrass Prince William. Her motto? “Be naughty, but don’t get caught,” said Harry.
At age 32, Prince Harry has a long royal life ahead of him—but his mother would already be proud.