In a clip from BBC’s upcoming special A Royal Team Talk: Tackling Mental Health, Prince William spoke to professional athletes about the experience of losing his mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 15-years-old, per Entertainment Tonight .
“I think when you are bereaved at a very young age, anytime really, but particularly at a young age — I can resonate closely to that — you feel a pain like no other pain.”
“And you know that in your life it’s going to be very difficult to come across something that is going to be an even worse pain than that,” he added.
Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997 and left behind a legacy of extensive charity work, including a role as president of London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for children. She also raised awareness for people affected by cancer, mental illness, and HIV/AIDS.
Although William definitely had a tough time with his mother’s death, he also said that the experience brought him closer to other people that have experienced similar sorrow.
“So instantly, when you talk to someone else… You can almost see it in their eyes sometimes.”
Cosmopolitan reports that Prince William hopes to “normalize the whole conversation” of speaking about death and change England’s current reserved culture surrounding the subject.
William also spoke about his time as an air ambulance pilot, calling it a “raw, emotional” job in which he had to deal with death at all times. He spoke about the “very depressing, very negative feeling” it left him with, and how eventually he realized it was going to become a problem.
“When you are bereaved at a very young age, you feel pain like no other pain.” — The Duke of Cambridge #ARoyalTeamTalk pic.twitter.com/OIIj7KSIbS
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 17, 2019
William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, recently spoke about missing his mother at a presentation event for the 2020 Invictus Games. Afterward, he shifted focus to Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, his first child with his wife Meghan Markle, and the joy it has brought him.
Dennis van der Stroom, an Invictus Games competitor, said that the 34-year-old said that “having a small child was his new focus.”
As The Inquisitr reported, Archie has also helped William and Harry prepare to put their differences aside and mend their relationship, which is allegedly fractured. The pair reportedly want their children to be close to each other, which has pushed them to focus on their issues for the sake of their families.
Not only that, parenting expert Richard Conway told The Daily Mail that Archie will also help unite Markle and Harry’s wife, Kate Middleton.
Prince William opens up about mental health struggles https://t.co/1eRGfwBcM9
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) May 18, 2019
