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Prince William Comforts Grieving Children In Amazingly Gentle Way: ‘I Lost My Mummy When I Was Very Young Too’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 20:22 PST, Jan 13, 2017

Prince William is the eldest son of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles, Prince of Wales. As a 15-year-old, His Royal Highness was deeply affected by his parents’ divorce in 1996, followed by the shocking and tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.

According to News Australia, Prince William was able to comfort a young girl at a recent charity event in London who was mourning the loss of her father. Having experienced this same tragedy, the Prince was certainly qualified to comfort 9-year-old Aoife, whose father died from pancreatic cancer, with the Prince even admitting the feelings he experienced following the death of his mother.

“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. Do you speak about your daddy? It’s very important to talk about it. Very, very important.”

The interaction between Prince William and her daughter was an emotional moment for Aoife’s mother, Marie, who said the experience almost brought her to tears.

“I couldn’t believe it when he started to talk about his mother. It was very emotional and I was willing myself not to start to cry. I almost did.”

Lorna Island’s 12-year-old son Shinobi was remembering the loss of his grandmother and his godmother, and Prince William was very forthcoming about his experience and feelings at the time of his mother’s death.

“He told my son that when his mum died he was 15 at the time and he was very angry and found it very difficult to talk about it. So, it was very important that Shinobi talked to somebody about how he was feeling even now years on. It was very personal and it was very special.”

August 31 this year will mark the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, and it appears that it’s only recently that Princes William and his brother Prince Harry have been comfortable in talking about their feelings. Prince Harry recently revealed he now regrets not opening up sooner about the effects his mother’s death had on him.

People magazine reported that the royal couple attended an event at the Child Bereavement UK in Stratford, East London, to show their support for families who’ve suffered the loss of loved ones. For personal reasons, Child Bereavement UK is one of Prince William’s pet causes, and the founding patron of the charity, Julia Samuel, was one of his mother’s greatest friends.

Nine-year-old Aoife explained to Prince William that her late father had loved gardening and liked bright colors, so for her memory jar project at the center, she chose reds, yellow, pinks, and greens. Her mother, Marie, was deeply touched by Prince William’s personal and moving interaction with the grieving children.

“I am telling my children that if they take anything away from this day, it’s what he said about how important it is to talk. Kids do not forget that. Sometimes it hurts but we can remember the happy things too. It’s so important to talk.”

The London center is marking its one-year anniversary and People magazine reported that the warmth and friendliness from Prince William and Princess Kate very quickly put everyone at ease.

“You can see the terror in people’s eyes as they walk in, and you can see that fall away within a few minutes as people realize they are normal. Bereavement — and particularly child death, which is so unbearable to think about — is something William is shining a light on. He’s helping raise awareness in a way that no one else can. That’s because people can see how authentic and heartfelt he is, and he’s experienced it. People can pick up authenticity within seconds.”

[Featured Image by Matt Dunham/AP Images]

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