Prince George’s Godmother Preserved a Family Tradition From Diana

london, united kingdom october 04 princess diana with prince william and prince henry harry on the piano at home in kensington palace dress designed by kanga lady dale tryon photo by tim graham photo library via getty images

(Image credit: Tim Graham)

published 3 July 2020

Prince George's godmother, Julia Samuel, spoke about a hilarious family tradition started by Princess Diana that she's helping to preserve.
Samuel, who was close friends with Diana, said she deliberately buys her godson "impossible toys that are really noisy and take a lot of making," adding, "That makes me laugh, and it makes George laugh."
Samuel spoke on the How To Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast, as People reports.

Prince George might not get to meet his grandmother Princess Diana, but thanks to his godmother, he is getting a taste of her wicked sense of humor. Julia Samuel, who was close friends with Diana, recently appeared on the How To Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast, as People reports—and revealed she's preserving a funny tradition started by the late Princess.

"I do to George what [Diana] did to us, which is give impossible toys that are really noisy and take a lot of making," she said. "I come in slightly tipped by the size of the present that William then has to spend days putting together. And then put all the machinery together, and it makes awful tooting noises and lights flashing and all of that."

George is a big fan of said tradition: "That makes me laugh, and it makes George laugh," Samuel said.

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Samuel spoke about her favorite memories of Diana, saying, "She had an absolutely fantastic laugh. It was a sort of giggle and it was cheeky and it kind of lit up the room." She added, "And also she was a fantastic hugger."

George and Diana would have shared a strong bond, according to Samuel. "He's funny and feisty and cheeky and God she [Diana] would have loved him so much," she said. "That is heartbreaking for all of them."

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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.