As patron of Child Bereavement UK—a charity his mother Princess Diana championed before her passing in 1997—Prince William connected with bereaved children in a way that only someone who's walked in their shoes truly can. The Prince of Wales, who visited the organization in Widnes, England, on Feb. 5, shared some candid thoughts on navigating grief.
"Sometimes the hardest thing about grief is finding the words for how you actually feel," he admitted (via Tatler), adding, "It's crucial for those first few years, particularly, [that] you have support like this."
The charity, launched in 1994 with Princess Diana's support, holds special significance for William. Its founding patron, Julia Samuel, wasn't just Diana's close friend—she's now godmother to Prince George. Prince William became its patron in 2009, working with young people who have lost a loved one as well as families who are grieving children.
It's something the prince has personal experience with, as he lost his own mother at the age of 15. In a particularly relatable moment, William acknowledged how loss can overtake everything. "The mind gets focused on one thing, doesn't it? It's very difficult to do school and normal life," he told the group.
After chatting with William, 16-year-old Clayton described the prince as "a genuine person, very down to earth," noting, "Obviously, he's been through the same situation as a lot of people so you can see when he does say he's glad of what we're doing, it's important because he knows what it's like for others."
Another young participant observed that William, who also lost his grandmother, The Queen, in 2022, "understands how grief works" and seemed genuinely "comfortable" discussing such a personal topic.
When Prince William took on the role of Child Bereavement UK's patron in 2009, he spoke about his mother's impact on the organization and how losing her changed him. "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," he said, per Tatler.
