In the BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days, Prince William and Prince Harry spoke more openly than ever about the death of their mother Princess Diana.

The 2017 film marked the 20th anniversary of the tragic 1997 car accident in Paris. The brothers discussed their grief and how they learned of the death of their mother. William was just 15 and Harry 12 at the time.

How Prince William and Harry learned Diana had died

"I remember just feeling completely numb, disorientated, dizzy," William said in the documentary. "You feel very, very confused. And you keep asking yourself, 'Why me?' All the time, 'Why?' What have I done? Why? Why has this happened to us?"

When the accident occurred, the princes were on summer holidays with their father Prince Charles at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. He was the one who had to tell his sons about the tragic news.

"One of the hardest things for a parent to have to do is to tell your children that your other parent has died," says Prince Harry in the film.

"[Charles] tried to do his best and to make sure that we were protected and looked after," Harry explained. "But you know, he was going through the same grieving process as well."

The Royal Family wanted to protect the young princes

Together with the Queen, Prince Charles decided to stay in Balmoral with his sons to shield them from the public and give them the opportunity to mourn in peace. 

William explained: "Back then, obviously, there were no smartphones or anything like that, so you couldn't get your news, and thankfully at the time, to be honest, we had the privacy to mourn and collect our thoughts and to have that space away from everybody. We had no idea that the reaction to her death would be quite so huge."

Once back in London, the Queen did her best to protect her grandchildren. She even ordered all the newspapers removed, Prince William recalled. He added that the Queen felt "very torn between being a grandmother to William and Harry and her queen role." 

The Royal Family has long been criticized by the public for its lack of public sympathy after Diana's death.

In the film, however, Prince William illustrates that the situation was uncharted territory for everyone and the family thought it best for to mourn behind closed doors.

To mark what would've been their late mother's 60th birthday, the royal brothers reunited in 2021 to unveil a statue of Diana that will forever stand in the garden of Kensington Palace.