Prince William Pays Tribute To His Late Mother, Princess Diana, With New Future Forward Five-Year Plan

Aug 17, 2021 by apost team

Before her passing in 1997, Princess Diana dedicated much of her time to charity work and improving the lives of others, especially young people. Her extensive charitable endeavors also included advocating for animal protection and fighting against the harmful use of landmines. Princess Diana was the patroness of organizations that worked with the homeless, youth, drug addicts, and the elderly. Starting in 1989, she was the president of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

From the years 1984 to 1996, she was the president of Barnardo's, a charity founded by Dr. Thomas John Barnardo to care for vulnerable children and young people. Then in 1994, she helped her friend start the charity Child Bereavement UK which supports children of military families, those of suicide victims and terminally ill parents. Later, Prince William replaced his mother as the organization’s royal patron.

William is continuing to follow in his late mother’s footsteps with the Diana Award’s launch of a new five-year plan that will encourage today's youth to make a change in their countries and the world. The organization was founded in 1999 and centers on change for and by young people as their main goal. They wish to empower the next generation of leaders by providing support and advocacy.

The Duke of Cambridge released a statement to introduce the new Future Forward five-year strategy for the charity. The plan, which launched on August 12, 2021, in tandem with International Day of Youth, encourages young people to focus their attention on the future and on becoming changemakers. 

William wrote in a press release for the charity’s new initiative: "Organisations like The Diana Award have never been more important in nurturing the talent of young people and working with them to change the world for the better. Future Forward sets out The Diana Award's blueprint for how change can be achieved, with young people at its heart."

The press release also states: "The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health and social inequality has been felt most acutely by young people. Young people are driving positive change but their voices are still missing from the conversations about the post-pandemic recovery. On International Day of Youth, The Diana Award's Future Forward strategy puts young people at the heart of leading change."

The organization aims to support the potential change from today’s youth by providing ways for young people to take action in their communities. “Future Forward is an ambitious five-year plan that will unlock the potential of young people by creating opportunities for them to create change, regardless of their background, and inspire them to take action. Social mobility and challenging systemic inequalities will be at its very heart,” the statement reads.

The Diana Awards’s website also explained: “We listened to the young people at the heart of everything we do. We talked to the expert staff who deliver our programs. We gathered feedback from the trustees and partners whose support is so vital to our success. And then the global pandemic hit, and we had to take time to re-shape our thinking to respond to the profound impact it has had on the lives of young people. All of this has shaped Future Forward.”

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This new plan for the charity comes after the long-anticipated unveiling of the Princess Diana statue at the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday. Princess Diana’s family has done an incredible job keeping her memory alive and honoring the work she did when she was alive. 

Before the statue unveiling, Harry said in a video address, "Our mum believed that young people have the power to change the world. She believed in your strength because she saw it day in and day out and in the faces of young people exactly like you, she witnessed a boundless enthusiasm and passion." 

The Duke of Sussex also paid tribute to the young people working with the Diana Award on June 28, 2021, just days before his mother’s birthday. The organization had a virtual ceremony to honor young people making impactful changes in their communities. Harry highlighted the work of a 16-year-old girl who launched a campaign to ensure that every person in her state can easily register for a vaccination. He said in his video statement: 

“There is a great need for young leadership and there is no greater time to be a young leader. I believe in you. We believe in you. And that belief in your own ability to change the world in doing the right thing is what makes you a force to be reckoned with.”

The Duke of Sussex continued, “To all the 2021 Diana Award recipients thank you for inspiring us with your brilliance, your determination and your compassion, your actions hold the potential to leave a life-changing impact. You are putting the ‘do’s’ behind the ‘say’s’, and this is the personification of our mother’s legacy.”

What do you think of this new initiative for the Diana Award? Do you think Prince William and Prince Harry do a good job carrying on their mother’s legacy? Let us know, and be sure to send this on to your loved ones.