Princess Diana Dressed William and Harry Alike to Make Them Feel Equal, Former Butler Says

Princess Diana often dressed her young sons, William and Harry, in matching clothes, hoping the brothers would feel equally loved despite their different positions in the royal family, according to former butler Paul Burrell. The detail offers a glimpse into how she tried to balance the boys’ childhoods with the expectations surrounding the monarchy. Burrell, who worked closely with Diana, has said she chose identical outfits for the brothers throughout much of their childhood in the 1980s and 1990s. Their coordinated looks included shorts, shirts, sweaters and polished shoes, and were frequently seen during public appearances. The former butler has described the choice as part of Diana’s effort to treat both boys fairly, even though William was the heir to the throne and Harry held a different place in the line of succession. A source cited in the report said Diana understood that the brothers would face different futures and hoped matching outfits might help them feel on equal footing as children. The source also connected Diana’s approach to her efforts to give her sons experiences beyond royal life, including visits to amusement parks and fast-food restaurants. Her parenting style was described as informal for a senior royal, with Diana also showing affection toward the boys in public. The matching clothes were not necessarily a hit with the children. Burrell said the brothers disliked being dressed alike. Harry later recalled Diana’s fondness for putting him and William in coordinated, sometimes unusual outfits in the 2017 documentary “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.” The report presents the wardrobe choices as one small part of Diana’s attempt to raise her sons with a sense of closeness and fairness, even as royal tradition set them on markedly different paths.