By Katherine Tinsley
9:00am PDT, Aug 15, 2025
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Tessy Ojo, the CEO of the Diana Award, discussed how
Prince William and
Prince Harry honor Princess Diana through their nonprofit work.
"The world witnessed who she was and witnessed what she did and collectively grieved for her," Ojo told
People.
"They are both young men who have families, and from a sense of love and a place of keeping that memory alive, it is a no-brainer that they'd want to keep that memory alive. This is not just for their family but also for the wider world," Ojo continued.
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Tessy Ojo noted that the princes are often shocked to see how greatly their mother, who died in a car accident in 1997, impacted strangers.
"I've seen how they watch young people who never met their mother articulate the impact she's had on them," Ojo shared in her interview. "There is a sense of immense pride: 'Wow, my mother did that!'"
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Prince William and
Prince Harry continue to prioritize initiatives that were important to Princess Diana.
"When I see them listen, I also see they are learning something from someone who never met their mom but has learned something of her values. I love moments like that," Tessy Ojo shared.
"I also see the smile, the pride, and I see that they are thinking, 'My mom did that.' It feels like a re-commitment. If that person is doing this in my mum's legacy, I have to do more. Almost like a re-ignition of that passion if that third party who never met my mom feels this strongly. This is my interpretation of the expressions I see," she continued.
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According to Tessy Ojo, Princess Diana left a lasting impact on others. "I'm sure they do it with their own individual families, but what the Diana Award does is continue that legacy and pass that legacy and values on to generations of young people who would never have met her," she said.
Ojo noted that
Prince William and
Prince Harry share "that ability to ally with, and think about others, and empathy to see – so that other people's plights become visible."
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Prince William is working to carry out Princess Diana's efforts to help the homeless, while the Prince of Wales' presence is often appreciated by people in need.
"He spends hours with people, and there is an awful lot of hugging!"
Mick Clarke, who is the CEO of homelessness charity The Passage, told
People about
Prince William.
"When you're at you're lowest and knowing that someone who is going to be the future king says, 'You are valued, you are important,' it reinforces and affirms the human dignity," Clarke noted.
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Prince William is working toward ending homeless in the U.K., and
Prince Harry has spent years working to help HIV/AIDS patients in the southern region of Africa. Aside from working to help people fighting the disease, in 2017, the Duke of Sussex pledged to help end landmine usage by 2025.
"He is doing very well…He's taking this seriously, he wants this job to be finished, and I think we'll get there,"
Valdemar Fernandes, who is the Program Operations Manager of HALO Angola, told
People.
