Prince William gives candid interview on mental health and Diana's death

Prince William has opened up more than ever in a new interview with British GQ.

The 34-year-old royal spoke openly about his mother’s tragic death and his sadness that she would never meet his family.

“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 said.

William appears in a picture-perfect photoshoot with his entire family including their pet dog, Lupo. The Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte can be seen laughing and playing in their garden.

He also commented on how it has taken him 20 years to be able to speak publicly about Princess Diana’s death, saying: “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.”

“It has taken me almost 20 years to get to that stage. 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.”

Prince William was only 15 years old when he found out that his mother had passed away in a car accident in Paris. In April, he spoke of the moment he was told that Diana had died, saying: “The shock never leaves you.”

Moving onto his young children, the Prince revealed that he is adamant that Prince George and Princess Charlotte will grow up in the real world: “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.”

William agreed to the interview as part of his, Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge’s mental health organisation, Heads Together. He revealed that “smashing the taboo is [the trio’s] biggest aim.”

“People can’t access services till they feel less ashamed, so we must tackle the stigma. I’ve been really shocked how many people live in fear and in silence because of their mental illness. I just don’t understand it.”

Prince Harry also broke his silence in April, telling The Telegraph that he was forced to seek counselling to deal with the grief from losing his mother.

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