Prince William has spoken of the incredible support he received from the Queen in the years following the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
Speaking to Sky News as the family prepares to celebrate Her Majesty's 90th birthday, the Duke of Cambridge said his grandmother had been a "strong female influence" to him - especially during his teenage years.
"Having lost my mother at a very young age, it has been particularly important for me that I had somebody like the Queen to look up to and who has been there and has understood some of the more complex issues when you lose a loved one," he said.
Prince William was 15 when his mother was killed in a car crash in Paris - and following her death in 1997, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were heavily criticised for staying in Balmoral with William and Harry rather than immediately returning to Buckingham Palace.
It is an aspect of his relationship with his grandmother that he has rarely spoken about publicly.
Asked if he had any particularly fond childhood memories of the Queen, Prince William recalled a time when she gave him and his cousin a severe telling off.
He explained: "(We) were on a quad bike in Balmoral and we were chasing Zara around who was on a go-cart. Peter and I managed to herd Zara into a lamppost and the lamppost came down and nearly squashed her.
"I remember my grandmother being the first person out and running across the lawn in her kilt. She came charging over and gave us the most almighty b*****king.
No comments:
Post a Comment