Prince William has revealed that he still misses his mother Princess Diana ‘every day’, as he offered his advice to a teenage boy who had recently lost his own mother.
During a visit to Keech Hospice Care in Luton, the Duke of Cambridge met 14-year-old Ben Hines, whose mother died last summer. William, who was just one year older than Ben at the time of his mother’s death in 1997, was able to remind him that he was not alone in his grief, and gave some advice on how to deal with loss.
After Ben, the youngest of the three brothers who met the Prince and his wife Kate Middleton at the Hospice, praised his late mother and revealed that he was finding dealing with her loss difficult, saying ‘I miss her so much.’
Clearly empathising with Ben’s situation, William said that ‘Time makes it easier.’
‘I know how you feel, I still miss my mother every day and it’s 20 years after she died. The important thing is to talk about it as a family, it’s OK to feel sad, it’s OK for you to miss her,’ he said.
For William, the key to dealing with a bereavement is communication. ‘As four boys, you have to talk a lot better – we’re not good sharers. It’s a classic example of lots of talking needed.’
It’s a theme which the Duke keeps returning to in his charity work, having previously published an emotive open letter to coincide with Father’s Day, imploring ‘all fathers to take a moment to ask their children how they are doing. Take the opportunity to discuss how you are coping with life and fatherhood with your wife, partner or with your friends.’
Before leaving the family, William asked the Hines family to ‘Promise me you will talk to each other.’
Ben’s father Gary Hines said ‘[William] gave Ben his absolute attention and you could see that it struck a chord with him. He put his hand on Ben’s shoulder and told him time’s a healer and to stick together and talk.’
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