Prince William and Prince Harry are honoring their late mother Princess Diana‘s charitable legacy with a foreword to a new book dedicated to The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Award for Inspirational Young People.
The Diana Award, which aims to tackle bullying and social exclusion, was set up in 1999, two years after Princess Di’s tragic death. In a foreword of the new book, which celebrates the charity’s 15th anniversary, the two brothers express that their late mother would be proud of the charity’s achievements.
“In recent years, we have both had the privilege of meeting some truly inspiring young people and those involved with the Diana Award are no exception working to quietly transform their communities and the lives of those around them,” the Duke of Cambridge and his younger brother write. “Having met young people working with the charity in Newcastle and in London, we were struck in both cases by their deep and lasting sense of social responsibility. These young people were working hard to tackle the social issues that affected them such as bullying or social exclusion and the Diana Award empowered them to do more. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Diana Award. Over this time, the award has evolved to become a youth-driven charity that harnesses the energy and passion of young people who really are trailblazers for their generation. We believe, when encouraged and supported, that young people have the ability to change society for the better. We know that our mother in whose memory this award was established felt the same and would be proud of its achievements to date. Happy Birthday!” their signed foreword concludes.
To date, The Diana Award has recognized over 40,000 inspirational and socially active young people.
According to the charity’s site, The Diana Award does three things: encourages young people for their contribution to their communities, empowers young people to achieve their full potential, and engages young people in social action to make a difference in the lives of others.
Prince William and Harry were 15 and 12 when their mother died.
