Prince William Says Emotions About Princess Diana Sometimes ‘Come out of the Blue’
Prince William is the oldest son of Prince Charles and his ex-wife, the late Princess Diana. Unfortunately, as many fans know, Princess Diana passed away in 1997.
Although it has been over 20 years since William lost his mother, the Duke of Cambridge still feels many emotions associated with her death. In fact, William recently admitted that these feelings sometimes “come out of the blue” when he least expects them.
Prince William was a teenager when Princess Diana passed away
Princess Diana passed away in Paris on August 31, 1997. She was involved in a car crash that came about as she was being chased by the paparazzi.
William was only 15 years old when he lost his mother. He and his younger brother, Prince Harry, were known to be close to her. Diana was a hands-on parent who often took her children to different places to make sure they understood what life was like outside the palace’s walls.
In a 2012 interview with Katie Couric, William shared: “She very much wanted to get us to see the rawness of real life. And I can’t thank her enough for that, ’cause reality bites in a big way, and it was one of the biggest lessons I learned is, just how lucky and privileged so many of us are — particularly myself.”
Prince William once said that his mother’s death was a ‘pain like no other’
Losing a loved one is never easy, especially when that loved one is a parent. In the 2019 documentary A Royal Team Talk: Tackling Mental Health, William described his mother’s death as a “pain like no other.”
However, he also shared that, because of the experience, he is able to relate more to those who also lost someone.
“It also brings you so close to all those other people out there who have been bereaved,” William said. “They want to talk about it, but they want you to go first, they want to have your permission that in that particular conversation – one on one – it’s ok to talk about bereavement.”
Prince William says emotions about Princess Diana sometimes ‘come out of the blue’
While William seems to have successfully adjusted to life without Diana, once in a while, he still experiences little reminders of her death.
In the upcoming documentary, Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health, William speaks to soccer players, managers, and fans about mental health issues. In one instance, he can be seen opening up about his mother to former player Marvin Sordell, who grew up without a father.
“I think when you’ve been through something traumatic in life – and that is like you say your dad not being around, my mother dying when I was younger – your emotions come back in leaps and bounds because it’s a very different phase of life,” William said. “And there’s no one there to, kind of, help you, and I definitely found it very, at times, overwhelming.”
He also shared that he had moments where “emotionally, things come out of the blue that you don’t ever expect or maybe you think you’ve dealt with.”
Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health will air on May 28 on BBC One in the U.K.
