Watch CBS News

Prince William and Kate post cards to "Granny Diana" on U.K. Mother's Day one week after Harry and Meghan interview

Royals facing backlash in racism controversy
Queen and family criticized for their response to accusations made by Prince Harry and Meghan 01:36

Prince William and his wife, Catherine, on Sunday posted on Instagram cards their three children had made for "Granny Diana," or William and Harry's mother, to celebrate Britain's Mother's Day. The posting comes amid fallout with William's brother, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan, who detailed the rift between the brothers in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

For Mother's Day on Sunday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posted on the official Kensington Royal Instagram account that "for those experiencing bereavement, today may be particularly challenging." William and Harry's mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 when William was 15 and Harry was 12.

"Each year on Mother's Day, George, Charlotte and Louis make cards remembering their Granny, Diana, for William," the caption said.

"Dear Granny Diana, I am thinking of you on Mother's Day," wrote Princess Charlotte, 5. "I love you very much. Papa is missing you. Lots of love, Charlotte."

Prince George, 7, wrote "Happy happy Mother's Day. I love you very much and think of you always." 

Prince Louis, who is almost 3, drew a heart.

William and Catherine also posted a photo of a cake they said was made by the children celebrating "two other special mothers today" and a photo of Catherine as a child and her mother.

The messages come one week after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, told Oprah about rifts between them and members of the royal family, including William and Catherine. Meghan refuted a story from 2019 that she made Catherine cry ahead of Meghan and Harry's wedding, saying Catherine had been the one to make her cry. 

In clips aired on "CBS This Morning," Meghan said the royal family never acknowledged there was any difference in the way she was treated — including racist attacks and the introduction of social media — and the way Catherine was treated. 

"Kate was called 'Waity Katie,' waiting to marry William, while I imagine that was really hard, and I do. I can't picture what that felt like. This is not the same," Meghan said.

She continued, "And if a member of his family will comfortably say we've all had to deal with things that are rude, rude and racist are not the same."

Meghan also said there were discussions within the royal family about "how dark" their son Archie's skin tone would be, a conversation Harry said he didn't ever want to discuss. When asked about those comments a few days after the interview, William said the family is "very much not a racist family." 

Harry said that at one point, his father, Prince Charles, "wasn't taking my calls" when he asked for more security for him and Meghan. He said he saw "history repeating itself" in the way Meghan was treated compared to the way his mother was treated by his family.

Harry said he and William had "been through hell together," but they are now on "different paths."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.