Prince William admits 'hardest thing about grief' on royal visit to charity close to his heart
The Prince of Wales lost his mother, Princess Diana, when he was 15Prince William has opened up about struggles with grief and shared the “hardest thing” about the process of losing a loved one.
The Prince of Wales, 42, visited a Child Bereavement UK centre in Widnes on Wednesday (February 5). William became patron of Child Bereavement UK in 2009 – a charity his late mother Princess Diana worked with.
Today, Prince William shared his own struggles with grief after losing his beloved mum when he was just 15. In more recent years, William has also lost his grandparents – Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Prince William admits ‘hardest thing’ about grief is ‘finding the words’
During the visit on Wednesday, the prince said: “Sometimes the hardest thing about grief is finding the words for how you actually feel.
“It’s crucial for those first few years, particularly, (that) you have support like this…. It’s got you in your practice, how to help yourself.
“The mind gets focused on one thing, doesn’t it? It’s very difficult to do school and normal life.”
William was speaking with teenagers about dealing with bereavement. The prince asked them whether they found it hard to talk about how they had felt after a loss.
Rebecca, 17, who lost her dad, told William: “I didn’t really know how I felt because it was very sudden. Child Bereavement UK helped me direct the way I felt about it.”
Prince of Wales visits Child Bereavement UK centre today
The visit also saw Prince William have a private meeting with bereaved parents. He also met staff, volunteers and fundraisers.
Sometimes the hardest thing about grief is finding the words for how you actually feel.
The Prince of Wales became patron of the organisation in 2009. He previously said in a statement: “Anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one will know only too well that you never stop grieving for those you have loved, and how important it is to find a way to live with that loss.
“Child Bereavement UK has been helping families facing that journey since 1994 and that is why I have been very proud to work with this incredible charity as its Patron since 2009.”
William on grief after losing his mother Princess Diana
The prince was just 15 when his mother Princess Diana died following a car crash in Paris, France. Diana was just 36 at the time of her death on August 31, 1997.
Over the years, William and younger brother Prince Harry have detailed some of their experiences with grief.
In 2017, Prince William appeared in BBC One documentary Mind Over Marathon as he met mental health sufferers preparing for the London Marathon.
At the time, William said of grief: “I still have shock within me – people say it can’t last that long but it does. The shock is the biggest thing [which] I still feel 20 years later, about my mother.
“You never get over it, it’s such an unbelievably big moment in your life that it never leaves you. You just learn to deal with it.”
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