Nearly three decades after her death, Princess Diana’s charitable efforts and words of wisdom continue to leave their mark on the world

Princess Diana in 1988. Photo: PATRICK RIVIERE/AFP via Getty

Princess Diana left behind a legacy that continues to be felt more than 27 years after her tragic death on Aug. 31, 1997.

The late Princess of Wales is widely hailed for her revolutionary humanitarian work during her lifetime, which included helping to change the stigma around HIV and AIDS, opening the conversation surrounding mental health and eating disorders, advocating for the homeless and working for the removal of landmines. The Diana Award, the only charity to bear Princess Diana’s name, now honors young philanthropists who continue to carry on her spirit of giving in the world.

In addition to Princess Diana’s charitable efforts, her spirit is also kept alive through her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The brothers have both spoken about how even though she’s not physically here, “Granny Diana” is still a strong presence in the lives of their children: William’s sons, Prince George and Prince Louis, and daughter, Princess Charlotte, and Harry’s son, Prince Archie, and daughter, Princess Lilibet.

“I see my mum’s legacy when I look at my own children every day,” Prince Harry told Diana Award recipients in 2021.

Prince William shared a similar sentiment in the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy: “It’s important that they know who she was and that she existed.”

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Beyond her charitable efforts and her children (and now grandchildren), Princess Diana’s memory lives on in the moving words she spoke throughout her lifetime. Read on for a collection of Princess Diana’s most inspirational quotes on motherhood, kindness and more.

Princess Diana on Motherhood

A.G. Carrick/Diana Memorial Fund/Getty

“If we all play our part in making our children feel valued, the result will be tremendous.” — speaking at the European Drugs Conference in 1992
“We have an obligation to care for our children in ways which clearly show our children we value them. They, in their turn, will then learn how to value themselves.” — speaking on eating disorders in April 1993
“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” — speaking on motherhood
“Family is the most important thing in the world.” — speaking on motherhood
“I want [my boys] to have an understanding of people’s emotions, people’s insecurities, people’s distress and people’s hopes and dreams.” — Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview on BBC’s Panorama
“We, as a part of society, must ensure that young people — who are our future — are given the chance that they deserve.” — a July 1995 speech to the charity Centrepoint
“For those mothers and children already living under the dark shadow of AIDS, we need to help them back into the light. To reassure them. To respect and support their needs. And maybe we will learn from them how to live our own life more fully — however long it is.” — speaking at the International Conference on HIV/Aids in Mothers & Children in September 1993

Princess Diana on Love and Kindness

Princess Diana during a state visit to Canada.Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

“Hugging has no harmful side effects.” — speaking at the European Drugs Conference in 1992
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” — a famous quote shared by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in a tribute on Instagram
“Health and happiness taken at the cost of other’s pain and suffering cannot be acceptable.” — speaking on mental health at a Turning Point conference in January 1993

“I think the biggest disease this world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved, and I know that I can give love for a minute, for half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give — I’m very happy to do that and I want to do that.” — Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana on BBC’s Panorama
“Each person is born with individual qualities and potential. We, as a society, owe it to women to create a truly supportive environment into which they too can grow and move forward.” — speaking on mental health at a Turning Point conference in January 1993
“Everyone of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves.” — speaking on motherhood
“Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back, if only they had the chance.” — a July 1995 speech to the charity Centrepoint
“If you find someone you love in life you must hang on to it and look after it, and if you were lucky enough to find someone who loved you then one must protect it.” — Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana on BBC’s Panorama
“HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it.” — speaking against the stigma of AIDS and HIV at the Children & Aids Conference in 1991
“Let’s not wait to be prompted. Let us go out today, tomorrow and the days that follow and let us demonstrate our humanity.” — accepting the Humanitarian of the Year award in New York in December 1995 

Princess Diana on Being a Role Model

Princess Diana visiting a minefield in Angola.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

“I don’t go by a rule book … I lead from the heart and not the head.” — Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana on BBC’s Panorama
“Don’t call me an icon. I’m just a mother trying to help.” — speaking on motherhood
“I’d like to be queen of people’s hearts, in people’s hearts.” — Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana on BBC’s Panorama
“I can do this job so much better on my own.” — Princess Diana: In Her Own Words
“Each time I was knocked down, I came back up again.” — Princess Diana: In Her Own Words
“Someone’s got to go out there and love people and show it.” — Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana on BBC’s Panorama
“People think that at the end of the day a man is the only answer. Actually, a fulfilling job is better for me.” — Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana on BBC’s Panorama
“I am not a political figure, I am a humanitarian figure, and always have been and always will be.” — speaking during a 1997 Red Cross trip to Angola

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Princess Diana on Womanhood

Princess Diana sitting on the steps of Highgrove House.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

“A woman’s instinct is a very good one.” — Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana on BBC’s Panorama
“Those women who have taken on the heavy burden of attending to others need also to be attended — not just for their own sake, but for the good of us all.” — speaking on mental health at a Turning Point conference in January 1993
“Every strong woman in history has had to walk down a similar path and I think that it’s the strength that causes the confusion and the fear.” — Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana on BBC’s Panorama
“Women have a right to their own peace of mind.” — speaking on mental health at a Turning Point conference in January 1993
“Isn’t it normal not to be able to cope all the time? Isn’t it normal for women as well as men to feel frustrated with life? Isn’t it normal to feel angry and want to change a situation that is hurting? Perhaps we need to look more closely at the cause of the illness rather than attempt to suppress it.” — speaking on mental health at a Turning Point conference in January 1993 
“If we as a society continue to disable women by encouraging them to believe they should only do things that are thought to benefit their family even if these women are damaged in the process … If they feel they must sacrifice everything for their loved ones even at the cost of their health, their inner strength and their own self worth, they will live only in the shadow of others — and their mental health will surely follow.” — speaking on mental health at a Turning Point conference in January 1993