Princes William & Harry Open Up About Diana

LONDON, England, U.K. (June 13, 2007) -- Princess Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, were only 15 and 13, respectively, when their mother's life tragically ended in 1997 -- but now they've gone on the record with Matt Lauer about Diana's life, death and legacy in a brand new (and very rare) interview.

"I think people will always have a fascination about her," said Harry, now 22. "And journalists believe there's a need to read about her a need to be reminded about her...I can't really ever see it ending really..."

It's been ten years since the death of Princess Diana, but the public's fascination with her has not diminished. The beloved princess will in fact be honored this summer with an all-star concert set up by William and Harry to not only commemorate her passing, but to celebrate what would have been her 46th birthday.

"We always wanted to do something for her," said William, adding that not a day goes by that he doesn't think about her.

"She wasn't always herself in front of the camera," revealed Harry. "She was much more natural behind the scenes, when there was no one else there and she could be herself. I don't know if it's the right thing to say, but she was quite good-acting if you know what I mean. She wasn't acting [by] trying to be somebody she wasn't, trying to be as normal as she could in front of the cameras -- which she hated so much."

And what of the young men themselves? William and Harry filled Matt in on what it's like to be a famous prince.

"I think we're very lucky we have lots of things," said William. "We're fortunate to have a house and all these nice things around us, and so we're grateful for that because so many people don't have that."

"We've got a good education -- it doesn't show, but we have one," said Harry, laughingly. "We're very privileged in many ways, and we're very lucky and we're very grateful for that."

But with that privileged life comes a downside: the relentless pursuit of the paparazzi.

"You know Harry's had his fair share of hard time given by the media," said William, most likely referring to the press generated by Harry's desire to go fight in Iraq (he ended up not going), and a questionable costume choice he made when he dressed as a Nazi for a 2005 party. "At the end of the day, no matter what you think, the only person you're ever going to get to know to be able to form that opinion is him. No matter what you read or what you see, you're never going to know someone unless you actually get to meet them and talk to them properly."

"That's actually the most amusing point," Harry remarked. "Meeting somebody, and them going 'you're so not what I thought you were'...the point is, they believe what they read, and God knows what's said in the papers that we don't read about. Its just poisonous."

William faced intense media scrutiny himself when he broke up with his girlfriend of four years, Kate Middleton, in April. While he wouldn't get into the details of the split with Matt, he spoke of the "public pressure" he faced, along with the constant press coverage of his relationship.

At the end of the day, Matt stressed that these "extraordinarily likable young men" are trying with every ounce in their hearts to be somewhat normal.

"I think they see that as the Holy Grail," said Matt.

Matt's complete interview with William and Harry airs Monday, June 18 on "The Today Show" and "Dateline NBC."