We’re approaching the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death.
On August 31, 1997, the beloved Royal icon was killed in a car accident after a high-speed chase with a paparazzo who was in full pursuit.
It was a true tragedy, one that caused the world to stop, collectively mourn and react in sheer shock and sadness.
Diana, of course, left behind two sons, both of whom have grown into widely-respected, very handsome and charitable adults.
But neither has spoken out very much about the most painful experience of their lives; both Prince Harry and Prince William have remained relatively quiet about the fatal incident.
Until now.
Giving an unusually rare and raw interview with British GQ, the Duke of Cambridge is featured in a lengthy cover story this month.
He sits down with Alastair Campbell for the July issue of the magazine and talks openly about this impending anniversary… what it’s been like without his mother today for himself and his loved ones… and how he’s managed his grief in the public eye.
“I am in a better place about it than I have been for a long time,” Prince William tells the publication of the horrible accident.
He goes on to explain that he is now capable of talking “about her more openly [and] more honestly and I can remember her better, and publicly talk about her better.”
The father of two (a three-year old named Charlotte and a two-year old named George), William adds:
“It has taken me almost twenty years to get to that stage. I still find it difficult now because at the time it was so raw.”
The hardest part, explains the Prince, is the fact that his mother has never met his wife or his children.
“I would like to have had her advice,” he says, adding painfully.
“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.”
The 34-year-old – who took time to honor the Manchester bombing victims last week – went on to note that unlike some people, his grief almost seem magnified due to the public nature of his unique position in British society.
“It is not like most people’s grief, because everyone else knows about it, everyone knows the story, everyone knows her.
“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.”
But William has clearly grown into a responsible, intelligent, benevolent adult.
He’s a husband and a father and, by all accounts, a very good man.
“I could not do my job without the stability of the family. Stability at home is so important to me,” he says.
“I want to bring up my children in a happy, stable, secure world and that is so important to both of us as parents. I want George to grow up in a real, living environment, I don’t want him growing up behind palace walls, he has to be out there.
“The media make it harder but I will fight for them to have a normal life.”
This issue of British GQ goes on sale on Thursday, June 1.
It’s an intimate portrait of William’s life, one that gives readers a glimpse into his typically private world.
We strongly recommend you pick up a copy.