Princess Diana has been hailed as a "wonderful mother".

Princess Diana

Princess Diana

The late royal - who had two sons, 34-year-old Prince William and 32-year-old Prince Harry - tragically lost her life in 1997 when she was involved in a fatal car crash in France at the age of 36, and has been remembered for her "passionate" charity work in the lead up to the 20th anniversary since her death, which will be marked in August this year.

Sandra Horley, the chief executive of domestic violence charity Refuge, told Hello magazine: "I first met Princess Diana in 1992. I had written to her asking for help, because our [women's] refuge in Chiswick was in dire financial straits. She responded by making a personal donation and a series of private visits.

"I was struck by Diana's passion. She was never one for formalities - she would much rather be sitting with the women we supported, chatting to them. If a child in the refuge was screaming, she would pick them up and comfort them.

"First and foremost, she was a wonderful mother."

Meanwhile, Princess Diana's sons have been following in their mother's footsteps by continuing their devoted work to charity.

Prince Harry - who is currently dating American actress Meghan Markle - quit the armed forces in 2015 in order to "go where he is needed".

A source said at the time: "He wants to go where he is needed, just as his mother did.

"He feels he can achieve something worthwhile rather than spend the next ten years sitting at a desk."

Whilst Prince William - who has Prince George, three, and Princess Charlotte, 21 months, with his 35-year-old wife Duchess Catherine - recently stepped down from the East Anglia Air Ambulance service in order to become a full-time royal.

Instead, sources claim Prince William will use his time to focus on issues that matter to him, such as tackling homelessness and raising awareness about mental health issues.