The Duke of Cambridge may be royalty, but that doesn’t stop him from relating to a little boy who’s just lost his mother.
Since the Duke had lost his own mother – Princess Diana – 20 years ago in a car accident in Paris, he advised the Hines family to stick together through the trying times.
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“Time makes it easier,” said Prince William soothingly, the Press Association reported. “I know how you feel, I still miss my mother every day and it’s 20 years after she died. The important thing is to talk about it as a family. It’s okay to feel sad, it’s okay for you to miss her.”
Ben, who’s been diagnosed with autism, is the youngest of four brothers all struggling from the loss.
William said: “As four boys, you have to talk a lot better – we’re not good sharers. It’s a classic example of lots of talking needed.”
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Before departing to tour the rest of the city and meet with more patients, the Duke made the siblings promise that they would communicate more during their trying times.
“He gave Ben his absolute attention and you could see that it struck a chord with him,“ explained Ben’s father. “He put his hand on Ben’s shoulder and told him time’s a healer and to stick together and talk.”
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The royal couple has been continuing their campaign to raise awareness for mental health by visiting the youth center after its £3.2 million renovations.
The charity, with projects such as SelfharmUK, offers healing and therapy to youth recovering from self harm and depression.
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It’s nice to see these remarks from Prince William about an important topic.