Prince William opened up about his mother’s ‘traumatic’ 1997 death in his new documentary, revealing those feelings of grief ‘came up’ after he became a father.
Prince William, 37, talked about Princess Diana‘s death in his new documentary Football, Prince William And Our Mental Health. In a conversation about parenthood with soccer star Marvin Sordell, 29, the Duke of Cambridge revealed that becoming a dad brought up feelings around losing his mom at a young age. “Having children is the biggest life-changing moment, it really is,” William said in a clip from the film, which airs May 28 on BBC One.
“I think when you’ve been through something traumatic in life –- and that is like you say your dad not being around, my mother dying when I was younger –- your emotions come back in leaps and bounds because it’s a very different phase of life,” he poignantly added. The Duke was just 15 years old when Diana, then 36, tragically died in an Aug. 1997 car crash.
Sixteen years later, William became a dad for the first time when he and Kate Middleton, welcomed Prince George, now 6. “There’s no one there to, kind of, help you, and I definitely found [fatherhood] very, at times, overwhelming,” William shared. “Emotionally things come out of the blue that you don’t ever expect that you think you’ve dealt with. Having children is one of the most amazing moments of life but it’s also one of the scariest,” he explained.
The Royal Couple are also parents to the adorable Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2, making for one busy household. The Duke went on to praise Kate — whom he married in 2011 — for “supporting” him throughout his challenges. “Me and Catherine, we support each other, we go through those moments together — we evolve and we learn together,” William said.
The documentary ties into the advocacy efforts that both the Duke and Duchess have been doing to erase the stigma around mental health, particularly amongst young men. In the 60 minute film, William engages in conversations with various professional soccer players to discuss their mental health — on and off the field. The project was shot over the course of a year, and also follows William as he explores the perception of mental health within British culture.