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"Diana, 7 days" recounts the events following
Diana's death 20 years ago. She was killed with her lover Dodi
al-Fayed when their limousine crashed in a tunnel in the French
capital Paris as it sped away from pursuing paparazzi.
Her children, Princes William and Harry, who were aged 15 and 12
when she died, spoke about her death for the first time in
another documentary aired in July, but neither mentioned the
role of their father during the 90-minute program.
"He was there for us," Prince Harry told the BBC, of the heir to
the throne. "One of the hardest things for a parent to have to
do is to tell your children that your other parent has died."
Following Diana's death, the royal family was subject to public
criticism for its perceived treatment of the princess, who had
struggled to fit into the monarchy and deal with her husband's
infidelity.
Some questioned the wisdom of having the young princes walk
behind their mother's coffin as it processed through London past
vast crowds of mourners.
Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, described it as a "bizarre and
cruel" decision, and Prince Harry told U.S. magazine Newsweek in
June that no child should be expected to do that "under any
circumstances".
But reflecting on the procession again, Harry told the BBC he
was "very glad" to have been part of the day.
Prince William, who described using his fringe as a "safety
blanket" throughout the "very long, lonely walk", said it was
their duty to take part and that the decision had been
"collective".
The prince also defended Queen Elizabeth's much-criticized
decision to keep the family at a remote Scottish castle in the
aftermath of Diana's death, saying it had given them the
"privacy to mourn".
"Diana, 7 Days" will air on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (1830 GMT).
(Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
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