Everyone knows that Prince William lost his mother, Princess Diana of Wales, after a car crash in Paris in 1997. But they never knew how he’s privately dealt with the pain of losing his mother for the past two decades – until now.
In a rare interview with the Duke of Cambridge, the royal talks about the 20th anniversary of his mother’s death and dealing with grief in the spotlight in the July issue of British GQ.
On the 20th anniversary of the Princess of Wales’ death, William said, “I am in a better place about it than I have been for a long time, where I can talk about her more openly, talk about her more honestly, and I can remember her better, and publicly talk about her better.”
The father of two continued, “It has taken me almost twenty years to get to that stage. I still find it difficult now because at the time it was so raw.”
The 34-year-old Duke also noted that unlike some people, his grief almost seem magnified due to the public nature of being a royal. “It is not like most people’s grief, because everyone else knows about it, everyone knows the story, everyone knows her. It is a different situation for most people who lose someone they love, it can be hidden away or they can choose if they want to share their story.”
The Duke also spoke openly about life without his mother today. “I would like to have had her advice. I would love her to have met Catherine and to have seen the children grow up. It makes me sad that she won’t, that they will never know her,” admitted the royal.
Prince William also spoke about the importance of his family in his daily life.
“I could not do my job without the stability of the family. Stability at home is so important to me. I want to bring up my children in a happy, stable, secure world and that is so important to both of us as parents,” said William. “I want George to grow up in a real, living environment, I don’t want him growing up behind palace walls, he has to be out there. The media make it harder but I will fight for them to have a normal life.”
