Prince William Opens Up About Princess Diana to Comfort Grieving Children

1 minute read

Prince William—one half of England’s royal couple along with Kate Middleton—paid a visit to a charity facility dedicated to children dealing with grief on Wednesday in Stratford, England, where he sympathized with kids and shared some of his own experience of loss after the death of his mother Princess Diana nearly twenty years ago.

“You know I lost my mummy when I was very young too. I was [15] and my brother was 12,” he told one young girl at the Child Bereavement UK Centre event, according to ABC News. “So we lost our mummy when we were young as well.” The royal added that communication was key in dealing with feelings. “It’s very important to talk about it. Very, very important,” he said. They also participated in a memory exercise.

In the past, William’s brother Prince Harry has mentioned that he wished he had been more communicative about grief himself. “You know, I really regret not ever talking about it,” he said in July. The royal brothers, it seems, are trying to teach a new generation to be a open about their emotions.

[ABC News]

More Must-Reads From TIME

Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com