Jerzy Dabrowski/ZUMA Press, Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty ImagesPrince William shared a rare, emotional confession regarding his mother, Princess Diana's death during his most recent royal visit.
Kate Middleton and her husband visited an east London bereavement center where they sat down with families to make memory jars in honor of a loved one who has died.
While participating in the event, William met Lorna Ireland and her 12-year-old son, Shinobi Irons. They were filling their jar with bands of colored salt in memory of the child's grandmother (who died three years ago) and his godmother (who died in 2015).
Lorna explained the Prince began chatting with Shinobi. "He told my son that, when his mum died, he was 15 at the time, and he was very angry and found it very difficult to talk about it," she told a royal correspondent.
"So it was very important that Shinobi talked to somebody about how he was feeling, even now years on," she added. "It was very personal, and it was very special."
Princess Diana died in a car accident in 1997 when Prince William was 15 and his brother, Prince Harry, was just 12.
Thus, Ann Chalmers, Chief Executive of Child Bereavement U.K., acknowledged that's one of the reasons William is able to connect while working with families and kids who have lost loved ones.
"The Duke of Cambridge has been our royal patron since 2009, and it's really important for him to see our work at close quarters and the most important thing for him is to meet the families that we support," she said. "I think one of the things that's really apparent when you hear the Duke talking to the families is that he has a real empathy and depth of understanding of their situations."
She added, "He's also a fantastic listener and really wants to learn from the families what the challenges are that they're facing, and in that there are some things he can recognize from his own experiences."