Prince William on Tuesday delivered a particularly moving speech about loss and grief at the opening of the Manchester Arena bombing memorial, in which he reflected on losing his mother, Princess Diana, reported Entertainment Tonight.
The Duke of Cambridge appeared to get emotional while talking about the importance of remembering loved ones who have passed away untimely.
In his speech, Prince William paid tribute to those lost to the inhumane bombing at Manchester Arena in 2017 at an Ariana Grande concert.
He said: “For Catherine and I, it is very important that we are with you here today. To remember the 22 lives so brutally taken.”
“… I remember only too well the shock and grief on the faces of those I met when I visited Manchester in the days following the atrocity,” William continued, adding that he knows that the trauma from the event had not gone away despite the years.
He then referred to losing his mother, Diana, at an early age, saying: “As someone who lives with his own grief, I also know that what often matters most to the bereaved is that those we have lost are not forgotten.”
“There is comfort in remembering. In acknowledging that, while taken horribly soon, they lived. They changed our lives. They were loved, and they are loved. It is why memorials such as the Glade of Light are so important,” William added.
The 39-year-old Duke of Cambridge lost his mother Diana in a horrific car crash in 1997 at the tender age of just 15.