Wills: I’m so sad mum will never know my kids
– PRINCE WILLIAM OPENS HIS HEART ON FAMILY LIFE AND DIANA
PRINCE William has opened his heart on his deep regret that his beloved mother died before meeting his wife and children.
The Duke of Cambridge, 34, also insisted he would battle for youngsters George and Charlotte to have a normal life “outside palace walls”.
Revealing it has taken him nearly 20 years to come to terms with Princess Diana’s death, William said he mourns the fact that his son and daughter will never know their gran.
He said: “I would like to have had her advice. I would love her to have met Catherine and to have seen the children grow up.
“It makes me sad that she won’t, that they will never know her.”
Prince William also told how he and wife Kate, 35, shared the same hopes for George, three, and twoyear-old Charlotte.
Vowing to “fight for them to have a normal life”, he said: “Stability at home is so important to me. I want to bring up my children in a happy, stable, secure world, and that is so important to both of us as parents.
GRIEF
“I want George to grow up in a real, living environment. I don’t want him growing up behind palace walls, he has to be out there.”
The prince was just 15 when Diana died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
Both he and brother Prince Harry, 32, have rarely spoken out about the grief of losing their mum.
As the 20th anniversary of her death approaches, William opened up about his heartbreak.
He said: “I am in a better place about it than I have been for a long time, where I can talk about her more openly, more honestly, and I can remember her better, and publicly talk about her better.
“It has taken me almost 20 years to get to that stage. I still find it difficult now because at the time it was so raw.
“And also, it is not like most people’s grief, because everyone else knows about it, everyone knows the story, everyone knows her.
“It is a different situation for most people who lose someone they love – it can be hidden away or they can choose if they want to share their story.” The prince made his emotional comments in an interview for GQ magazine with former spin doctor Alastair Campbell. He spoke at Kensington Palace before posing in the garden alongside Kate, George, Charlotte and their cocker spaniel Lupo.
The intimate photoshoot gives a rare insight into the royals’ lives at home. Prince William will feature on the front cover of the magazine later this week.
The interview supports his Heads Together campaign, seeking to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health.
Royal sources said the prince chose to talk to GQ to target men, who are statistically less likely to speak about their depression or other problems.
William said: “Smashing the taboo is our biggest aim. We cannot go anywhere much until that is done.
“People can’t access services until they feel less ashamed, so we must tackle the taboo, the stigma.
“For goodness sake, this is the 21st century.
“I’ve been really shocked how many people live in fear and in silence because of their mental illness. I just don’t understand it. I know I come across as quite reserved and shy, I don’t always have my emotions brewing, but behind closed doors I think about the issues, I get very passionate about things.”
He added: “I rely on people around me for opinions, and I am a great believer in communication on these issues.”
Last month his younger brother Prince Harry spoke candidly about Diana’s death, admitting it
left him “close to a breakdown”. He also praised the support of William, who had urged him to seek counselling.
Harry, who was 12 when his mum died, said: “My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help?
“And then I started to have a few conversations and, actually, all of a sudden, all of this grief that I have never processed started to come to the forefront and I was like, ‘there is actually a lot of stuff here that I need to deal with’.
“It was 20 years of not thinking about it and two years of total chaos.”
Without mentioning his brother, William confronted the issue in this week’s interview.
He said: “I cannot understand how families, even behind closed doors, still find it so hard to talk about it.
“I am shocked we are so worried about saying anything about the true feelings we have. Because mental illness is inside our heads, invisible, it means others tread so carefully and people don’t know what to say.
“Whereas if you have a broken leg in plaster, everyone knows what to say.”
William, Kate and Harry are leading Heads Together to end stigma around mental health.
The campaign, which aims to get the country talking more about mental health problems, was heavily supported by the London Marathon and has been backed by celebrities including pop star Lady Gaga.
Prince William’s interview will be published in the July issue of GQ, which is released on Thursday.