'What my mother recognized back then - and what I understand now - is that grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure,' Prince William says.
- October 17, 2015
AceShowbiz -
Prince William paid tribute to her late mother Princess Diana in his emotional speech at the 21st anniversary dinner of the charity Child Bereavement U.K. on Thursday, October 15. The Duke of Cambridge opened up about the loss of his mother.
"Twenty-one years ago last month, my mother attended the launch of the Child Bereavement Charity," Prince William said of his mother who helped launch the charity in 1994, three years before she died in a car accident in 1997. "Fifteen years later, I was honored to be invited to become Patron of Child Bereavement U.K. to continue my mother's commitment to a charity, which is very dear to me."
Princess Diana's eldest son then told the crowd how he felt when he lost his mother. "What my mother recognized back then - and what I understand now - is that grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure," he said. "But my mother was determined to help those in need and she would have been immensely proud - as I am - of all that Child Bereavement U.K. has achieved these last 21 years."
Prince William explained that he gained even more perspective about how meaningful the contribution of the charity was once he had children. "As a father to two young children myself, I now appreciate it all the more," he said.
The charity is run by Julia Samuel, a close friend of Princess Diana and a godmother to Prince George. It helps families and children in the U.K. deal with the loss of a parent and also suicide victims.
