Prince William on Diana’s death: ‘I would love her to have met Catherine and to have seen the children grow up’

In a new interview with British GQ, cover star Prince William discusses the tragic death of his mother Diana.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of that fateful car crash that killed Diana in August of 1997 in Paris, France. Prince William continues to miss his mother every day and wishes she was around to have been a witness to all that is going on now.

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“I would like to have had her advice. I would love her to have met Catherine and to have seen the children grow up. It makes me sad that she won’t, that they will never know her,” he says.

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He admits that he’s now better with it than he was in the past. He’s processed his feelings about her death and is willing to discuss it now more than ever. “I am in a better place about it than I have been for a long time, where I can talk about her more openly, talk about her more honestly, and I can remember her better, and publicly talk about her better,” he admits.

While he’s open to talking about the death of his mother, he says it has taken him a very long time to get to this place. “I still find it difficult now because at the time it was so raw. And also it is not like most people’s grief, because everyone else knows about it, everyone knows the story, everyone knows her,” he reveals.

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“It is a different situation for most people who lose someone they love, it can be hidden away or they can choose if they want to share their story,” Prince William says.

For the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, their Heads Together campaign, which helps bring awareness to mental health, is an opportunity to get rid of the taboo that surrounds it. “We cannot go anywhere much until that is done. People can’t access services till they feel less ashamed, so we must tackle the taboo, the stigma, for goodness sake, this is the 21st century,” William says.

The campaign has made him aware of how many people live their lives in constant fear about mental illness. “I just don’t understand it,” he says. While he’s aware he’s a bit more reserved than most people, he admits he does process his emotions behind closed doors. “I get very passionate about things. I rely on people around me for opinions, and I am a great believer in communication on these issues.”