Prince Harry says he'll "never stop wondering" about Diana's death

Jun 12, 2007, 17:43 GMT

London - Britain's Prince Harry, the youngest son of Princess Diana, has said in a television interview that 'no one will ever know' what happened in the Paris car crash that killed his mother 10 years ago this August.

'I'll never stop wondering about that,' Harry, 22, said in a joint interview recorded for US television with his brother William, aged 24, in which both princes spoke unusually openly about their mother's death.

'I don't know for...for me personally whatever happened that night. Whatever happened in that tunnel. You know no one will ever know,' Harry said in the NBC interview, extracts of which were reported by Britain's Press Association Tuesday.

The full interview is scheduled to be broadcast by NBC news next Monday.

Both princes agreed that the decade since their mother's death, when Harry was just 12 and William aged 15, had passed 'really, really slowly.'

Diana's sons, who have both chosen an army career, are staging a memorial concert for her in London on July 1, which would have been her 46th birthday.

'Over the last 10 years I personally feel as though she has been... she's always there,' said Harry. And therefore I think when you're being reminded about it, it does take a lot longer and it's a lot slower.'

'It's weird because I think when she passed away there was never that time, there was never that sort of lull. There was never that sort of peace and quiet for any of us - the fact that her face was always splattered on the paper the whole time,' added Harry.

William also said he had never stopped thinking about his mother.

'I mean, so after it happened we were always thinking about it. And there's not a day goes by I don't think about it once in the day. And so for us is a very slow and it's a lot - it has been a long time.'

Harry, who has made frequent headlines with his taste for girls and partying, and who has been bitterly disappointed over the army's decision not to send him to fight in Iraq, said his mother always wanted her sons to lead as normal a life as possible.

'I think she'd be happy in the way that we're going about it, but slightly unhappy about the way the other people were going about it as in saying, 'Look you're not normal so stop trying to be normal,' which is very much what we get a lot.

They were aware of their responsibilities, said Harry, adding: 'But within our private life, and within certain other parts of our life, we want to be as normal as possible.'

In the full interview with Matt Lauer, the princes talk about why they decided to honour their mother with a concert next month, how they will remember her on the anniversary of her death, and the paths their lives have taken since, an NBC News spokeswoman said.

The royal brothers also discussed their opinions of America, the fact they have an 'image' in the US, and what they would do if they were not royalty.

Prince William, who split up with his girlfriend, Kate Middleton, in April, also talked about the challenges of forming relationships as a future king.

'There's a lot of baggage that comes with us, trust me. A lot of baggage. I don't want to be liked by someone just because of who I am. You know, I don't want the sycophantic, you know, people hanging around, you know?'

Harry said: 'Some of them are good at playing along. But at the same time, you've got to understand that it's just as hard for our friends as it is for us - there's a massive element of trust.'

Asked what he would want to do professionally if he did not have the royal duties he was born into, Prince William said: 'I don't know. It's a really tricky question. I guess. I'd like to fly helicopters, definitely.'

'I'd like to be some sort of heli-pilot, you know, working for the UN maybe, or something like that. I'd have to be doing something active - outside and doing sort of fun stuff, but with an edge to helping people.'

Harry said his favourite choice would be to spend all his time in Africa and combine humanitarian work with being a safari guide.'