The Duchess of Cambridge agreed that parenting was tough yesterday as she met young mothers with emotional problems.
The duchess, 35, who has a live-in nanny and whose mother often helps to care for Prince George and Princess Charlotte, was visiting a centre in London that helps troubled parents to bond with their youngsters.
The Duke of Cambridge spoke about bereavement with Aoife
Her observation came on the day that the duke gave a rare insight into his feelings after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, telling a grieving boy that he had been very angry when his mother died.
On their first joint engagement of the year in which the 20th anniversary of the princess’s death is marked, the couple visited a Child Bereavement UK centre in Stratford, east London, where they met Lorna Ireland, 36, and her son, Shinobi Irons, 12. The boy’s grandmother died three years ago and his godmother died in 2015.
Ms Ireland said: “He told my son that when his mum died he was 15 and he was very angry and found it very difficult to talk about it. So it was very important that Shinobi talked to somebody about how he was feeling.”
The duke’s willingness to disclose his feelings was evidenced when he comforted a girl grieving for her father. The prince, who is royal patron of the charity, told Aoife, nine: “You know I lost my mummy when I was young too. I was 15 and my brother was 12.”
Child Bereavement UK was established in 1994 in the princess’s presence.
Earlier the duchess visited the Anna Freud Centre’s Early Years Parenting Unit in Holloway, north London, of which she is patron. After listening to one group of mothers, she said she felt for them. “Parenting is tough,” she said. “With the experiences you’ve witnessed . . . I find it extraordinary how you’ve managed. So well done.”
