Prince William Reveals Where He Found ‘Comfort and Solace’ After Learning His Mother Princess Diana Died
The world was stunned more than two decades ago when news broke that Princess Diana had died. The thoughts of so many were with her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, who were just 15 and 12 years old at the time.
In the years since the princes have both spoken about their mother’s death and William admitted that he was shocked about what happened for a long time. Here’s more on that and where the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge said he found “comfort and solace” after he was told about his mom’s death.
Prince William speaks about ‘saddest memories’ after Princess Diana’s death
In 2021, Prince William spoke at the General Assembly of the Church in Scotland and revealed that some of his happiest memories, such as meeting his wife Kate Middleton, happened in that country. However, Scotland is also where some of his saddest memories occurred.
“Scotland is incredibly important to me and will always have a special place in my heart,” the now-Prince of Wales said. “I’ve been coming to Scotland since I was a small boy. As I grew up, I saw how my grandmother relishes every minute she spends here. And my father is never happier than when walking among the hills … In short, Scotland is the source of some of my happiest memories. But also, my saddest.”
He continued: “I was at Balmoral [Castle] when I was told my mother had died. Still in shock, I found sanctuary in the service at Crathie Kirk that very morning. And in the dark days of grief that followed, I found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors. As a result, the connection I feel to Scotland will forever run deep.”
The duke said was in shock for years after his mother’s death
Prince William talked about the shock he still felt years after his mother’s death in the documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
“Slowly you try to rebuild your life and I kept saying to myself that my mother would not want me to be upset, she’d not want me to be down, to be like this,” William explained. “I kept myself busy as well, which is good and bad sometimes but allows you to kind of get through that initial shock phase. We’re talking as much as maybe five to seven years afterwards.”
The prince added: “There’s not many days that go by that I don’t think of her — sometimes sad, sometimes very positively. My mother lives with me every day.”
How William is keeping Diana’s memory alive for his children
Something very important to William is keeping his mother’s memory alive for his children.
In that same documentary, he stated that he has pictures of the late princess around the house and he and Kate talk to George, Charlotte, and Louis about “Granny Diana” often.
“It’s important they know who she was and that she existed,” William said. “We’ve got more photos up round the house now of her and we talk about her a bit and stuff. It’s hard because obviously, Catherine didn’t know her, she cannot really provide that level of detail. I want to make as much time and effort with [them] as I can because I realize these early years particularly are crucial for children.”
