Despite the gulf between them, Princess Diana’s sons remain united in a shared vow to honor her memory.

Long before their estrangement, Diana taught William and Harry what that legacy looked like: a new kind of royal life rooted not in pomp but in compassion. Diana didn’t just infuse their lives with normalcy through visits to amusement parks and burger joints; she also took them to shelters for the unhoused and introduced them to her key causes.

Prince William has taken inspiration in his work to help the homeless, while Prince Harry has carried her torch in supporting those affected by AIDS and retraced her steps through Angolan minefields with The HALO Trust.

Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award — the only charity to bear Princess Diana’s name, and one that her sons now support separately — has witnessed the princes’ commitment firsthand.

“I’ve seen how they watch young people who never met their mother articulate the impact she’s had on them. There is a sense of immense pride: ‘Wow, my mother did that!’ ” Ojo says.

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! 

Both brothers have also created home lives grounded in the value of providing their children with a genuinely authentic upbringing — “and that is pure Diana,” says Foreman. Prince William and Prince Harry have also honored their mother by giving their daughters, Princess Charlotte and Princess Lilibet, her name as a middle name.

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex both speak of her often to their children, and her photograph is displayed throughout their homes.

“The values they are instilling and discussing as families may be their best success,” Foreman says about the King’s sons. “They are both very good role models as parents.”

The One Value Prince Harry and Prince William Still Share That Is ‘Pure Diana’ (Exclusive)

The Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales are both prioritizing this commitment as parents

Prince William, Princess Diana and Prince Harry on May 7, 1995.

NEED TO KNOW

Prince William and Prince Harry may be estranged, but the royal brothers are raising their own children with a value that their late mother, Princess Diana, deeply instilled in them.

Despite the emotional and physical distance between them, William and Harry have each created home lives grounded in a shared commitment to providing their children with a genuinely authentic upbringing — “and that is pure Diana,” historian Amanda Foreman tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story.

Both brothers have also honored their mother, who died after a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, by giving their daughters her name as a middle name.

The Prince of Wales, 43, and the Duke of Sussex, 40, often speak of her to their children, and her photograph is displayed throughout their homes. Prince William and Kate Middleton are parents to Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.

“The values they are instilling and discussing as families may be their best success,” Foreman adds about Prince William and Prince Harry. “They are both very good role models as parents.”

King Charles‘ sons remain divided by a bitter rift, 28 years after their mother’s death, in a clash that exploded into public view in 2020 when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their royal duties.

“Things were said that sparked the initial rift, and it’s never healed,” says Princess Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton.

In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry describes a tense 2019 confrontation where William criticized Meghan and, according to Harry, physically grabbed him by the collar, knocking him to the floor. The divide only deepened after the couple’s explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, followed by their Netflix docuseries and Harry’s bestselling book — each delivering sharp criticism of William, King Charles, Princess Kate, Queen Camilla and the institution they serve.

“Some members of my family will never forgive me,” Prince Harry told BBC News in May.

Says Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers: “The rift is very profound and very long-lasting. It will not be changed, in my opinion, until Harry makes a move and apologizes.”

Adds Foreman: “Everyone wants it to happen on their terms, but that’s what makes it impossible.”

Despite the distance between them, both brothers remain united in one shared vow: to honor their mother’s memory. Long before the siblings’ estrangement, Diana taught her sons what that legacy looked like: a new kind of royal life rooted not in pomp but in compassion. She didn’t just infuse their lives with normalcy through visits to amusement parks and burger joints; she also took them to shelters for the unhoused.

Prince William has taken inspiration in his work to help the homeless, while Prince Harry found his calling in supporting young people affected by the AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa. It’s a commitment Harry will continue after stepping back from Sentebale, the charity he co-founded in 2006, following a dispute with the organization’s chair.

Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award — the only charity to bear their mother’s name, and one that William and Harry now support separately — has witnessed the princes’ dedication firsthand.

“I’ve seen how they watch young people who never met their mother articulate the impact she’s had on them. There is a sense of immense pride: ‘Wow, my mother did that!’ ” Ojo tells PEOPLE.

Still, many royal insiders and experts agree that the brothers’ estrangement weakens the impact they could achieve as a unit.

“If they could do anything together — properly and genuinely — the force would be a tsunami; it would be incredible,” says Foreman.

Jacqui Palumbo and Christian Edwards, CNN

It might not be as famous as her head-turning “revenge dress,” but an aubergine-colored silk velvet piece is still one of Princess Diana’s most iconic gowns — a status confirmed when it sold for $604,800, just over five times the $120,000 auction estimate — at Sotheby’s in New York Friday.

The late royal wore the dress for both an official royal portrait in 1991 and an intimate Vanity Fair spread in 1997, just before her death.

Princess Diana’s aubergine velvet ballgown was up for sale for the first time in 25 years.

Sotheby’s

Designed by couturier Victor Edelstein, the strapless number features a sculptural sweetheart neckline and a tulip-shaped skirt. It last sold for $24,150 in 1997, during a Christie’s charity auction featuring 79 dresses donated by Diana. The sales collectively reached $3.25 million, benefiting AIDS and cancer organizations including the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she served as president for eight years.

In the Vanity Fair story, photographed by Mario Testino, the magazine focused on the auction, calling her decision to sell the dresses “a powerful symbol of her changing life” in the wake of her high-profile divorce from Prince Charles, as she was “jettisoning a life that never was.”

It was designed by Victor Edelstein and was part of his 1989 Autumn collection.

Sotheby’s

But the Princess of Wales was more reserved in discussing her decision to sell the garments, only saying it was “a wrench to let go of these beautiful dresses.” She told the magazine: “However, I am extremely happy that others can now share the joy that I had wearing them.”

Mario Testino (pictured) photographed Diana in the gown the summer of her death.

MJ Kim/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

The deep purple gown was part of Edelstein’s Autumn 1989 collection, though he designed custom looks for the princess for over a decade, according to Sotheby’s. It was featured in a painting by Douglas Hardinge Anderson in 1991, as well as a Franklin Mint doll in 1998. Edelstein was also behind Diana’s midnight blue “Travolta Dress” — the long velvet gown she famously danced in with the actor while at the White House — which sold for £264,000 ($347,000) in 2019 to a charity after failing to sell at auction.

Friday’s auction also featured other notable items from fashion and entertainment, including a ticket to former President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 birthday — where Marilyn Monroe serenaded him — and LeBron James’s Miami Heat jersey from the 2013 NBA Finals.