The Prince of Wales has travelled to Chesire today to visit a bereavement centre in Widnes, where he opened up about grief and how young people can manage it.
Prince William visited Child Bereavement UK to see how its service is making a positive difference for bereaved families in the northwestern area.
The charity supports children and young people up to the age of 25 when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying.
It also provides training for professionals whose work brings them into contact with bereaved families.
William, who has been patron of the charity since 2009, looked dapper in dark blazer and dark trousers.
During his visit, the future king met with families and children who have been supported by the charity.
He spent time with young people who shared their own experiences of the help they received.
The future King, who lost his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997 when he was just 15 years old, said: “Sometimes the hardest thing about grief is finding the words for how you actually feel.
“It’s crucial for those first few years, particularly, (that) you have support like this…. It’s got you in your practice, how to help yourself.
“The mind gets focused on one thing, doesn’t it? It’s very difficult to do school and normal life.”
He asked Rebecca, 17: “Did you find it quite hard at the beginning to talk about how you felt?”
The teenager, who lost her father, said: “I didn’t really know how I felt because it was very sudden.
“Child Bereavement UK helped me direct the way I felt about it.”
Speaking after the meeting, Rebecca said: “He knows exactly the situation we’ve been in. He’s been in the same situation, around our age as well. I feel like it was good because he really understood.”
Ella, 17, who also spoke to William, added: “I think he understands how grief works. He seemed comfortable to be able to speak to us about stuff.”
Meika, 15, told the Prince she had stopped going to school after her grandmother died.
William replied: “The mind gets focused on one thing, doesn’t it? It’s very difficult to be able to do school and normal life.”
The heir to the throne had a private meeting with bereaved parents during his time at the offices before speaking to volunteers, long-standing supporters and local staff who provide the charity’s bereavement support services.
One of the people he met was boxer Clayton, 16, from Carlton in Nottingham, who began fundraising for the charity after his coach Tommy Thompson used the service following his daughter’s death.
When Clayton asked William if he liked boxing, he replied: “No, I don’t mind throwing a few punches around but not at your level. It’s exhausting as well.”
The bereavement centre in Widnes is the charity’s busiest service in the United Kingdom.
Before leaving, William was shown the charity’s “Before I Die” wall, which was made up of messages from people detailing what they wanted to achieve before they died. He laughed at one message that said : “Win the Fortnite cash cup.”
The charity’s Bereavement Support Team in Widnes consists of seven Bereavement Support Practitioners, including two who offer outreach support in Cumbria.
The charity offers free, confidential bereavement support for individuals, couples, young people, and families face-to-face across a number of locations, as well as by telephone, video, or instant messenger.
It also provides training to professionals in health and social care, education, the emergency services and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
