Royal lesson in love and loss
I’ve had my share of joy and success over the past 15 years. But even happy moments, like winning Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year, have been tinged with sadness.
That’s because my parents, who both died when I was in my thirties, weren’t there to share them with me. The one consolation is that my mum and dad, Maureen and Tommy, got to see some of the landmark moments in my life.
But my niece, Erin, was just 14 when my sister, Bernie Nolan, died of breast cancer four years ago. Now 18, I saw her recently and she said to me that the pain of losing her mother was worse now because she was entering adulthood. And she realised that she would never see her become a woman, get married, have a career and maybe start a family. That just broke my heart.
Erin was around the same age as Prince Harry and Prince William, who were 12 and 15, when their mother, Princess Diana, was killed in the Paris car crash in 1997.
In a moving interview, Prince William has opened up about the pain he feels when he realises his mother hasn’t been able to meet Kate, see them get married or meet her grandchildren, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
It all shows how devastating it is to lose a parent, especially at such a young age.
But Prince William and brother Prince Harry talking about this kind of thing reminds us that no matter how much privilege or wealth you have, we all still feel the same pain and all need support. Diana would be so proud of them. And for those people still fortunate enough to have a mum or a dad, it should make them realise they must make the most of the time they have with them.