During a Royal visit to the Child Bereavement Centre UK with Kate Middleton, Prince William opened up about the anger he felt when Princess Diana died. The Duke of Cambridge comforted one child, explaining he too had lost his mother at a young age. In published reports, it is said that William sat quietly with Aoife, a nine-year-old girl, and talked with the youngster about the loss of her father.
The Daily Mail quotes the future king as saying, “Do you know what happened to me? You know I lost my mummy when I was very young, too. I was 15 and my brother was 12. So we lost our mummy when we were young as well.”
Nine-year-old Aoife wasn’t the only child William spoke to during his visit with Kate Middleton to the Child Bereavement Centre UK. A woman identified as Lorna Ireland recounted that William spoke with her 12-year-old son also.
The Duke of Cambridge told the boy of his anger and found it difficult to discuss Princess Diana’s death. The boy’s mother said the way William related to her son was “very personal and very special.”
Kensington Place shared a short video clip of Prince William and Kate Middleton participating in a ‘Memory Jar’ Support Group session. The support group and its activities are designed to help families through the stages of bereavement.
At a gala dinner celebrating the centre’s 21st anniversary, Prince William spoke about Princess Diana in a very moving speech. The prince, who has been a Royal patron of Child Bereavement Centre UK since 2009, stated, “What my mother recognized back then – and what I understand now – is that grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure.”
This is not the first time in recent months that William has finally opened and spoken about Princess Diana’s tragic death at the age or 36 on August 31, 1997. During a visit to a crisis call service with Kate Middleton in 2016, Prince William backed off from listening in on the difficult calls, explaining that he was emotionally fragile at the time.
Many have called Prince William weak because he has made his emotions over Diana’s death public. The Royal Family protocol is always to remain strong and not discuss their feelings, at least not in public.
William’s anger and distress over Diana’s tragic death are not something Queen Elizabeth or Prince Charles are able to understand in their entirety. Saddened by his sons’ distress, the Prince of Wales most likely did the best he could to comfort Prince William and Prince Harry. But neither prince has spoken publicly about Princess Diana’s death until recently.
Kate Middleton may not understand the scope of Prince William’s anger or sadness. The Duchess of Cambridge accompanied William on the Royal visit to the Child Bereavement Centre, which indicates Kate supports William’s patronage of the charity.
Image credits to Kensington Royal // via Instagram
The Duke and Duchess join a @cbukhelp ‘Memory Jar’ activity in a Support Group session – which helps families dealing with bereavement pic.twitter.com/xg9zWPxfkD
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 11, 2017
