Princess Diana Had a Sweet Saturday Tradition With William and Harry

If there’s one thing that Princess Diana made abundantly clear in her lifetime, it was her fierce love for her sons, Princes William and Harry. As a mother, she strayed from royal tradition with a more hands-on approach, rather than letting nannies take over. It was always important for her to make sure the boys had as normal an upbringing as possible. Even after her separation from Prince Charles, Diana did whatever it took to keep the little princes’ lives happy and healthy.

Still, there were a few not-so-healthy habits the People’s Princess followed, as she notoriously liked to sneak junk food into the palace for William and Harry to enjoy. Of course, Diana did that to help their mental health, as the brothers grew up with so many eyes on them — she didn’t want them to feel isolated from the outside world. According to recent statements from Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, that included a heartwarming Saturday night tradition she enjoyed with her boys.

Burrell told Mirror Online, “The three of them would nip to McDonald’s for a Big Mac and fries before coming back to watch Blind Date,” referring to a popular British game show of the time. Burrell continued to describe what is perhaps the most precious scene you’ll ever hear about Diana and her boys: “All three of them would squat on this massive, stuffed hippopotamus Diana had in her sitting room.” The trio would also apparently get really into the dating show, yelling things like, “Oh, don’t pick him!” and “Lorra, lorra fun,” (slang from show host Cilla Black’s native Liverpool that means “lots of fun”) at the TV screen as they watched.

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It’s moments like this that clearly made a huge impact on the young princes as they were growing up — and remind us of what an amazing bond Diana had with William and Harry. You can’t get much sweeter than snuggling up on a massive, stuffed hippopotamus. Here’s hoping the beloved toy is still around for the younger royals to relax on today, too!