The heartbreaking admission Princess of Wales shared with Australia’s Governor-General

The Princess of Wales has made a heartbreaking admission to Australia’s Governor-General after the pair met alongside other dignitaries before the Queen’s funeral.

Kate spoke to David Hurley at Buckingham Palace on Saturday about how her three children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, were handling the sudden loss of their great-grandmother.

Mr Hurley recalled his conversation with Kate and how her eldest son Prince George was ‘sort of now realising how important his great-grandmother was and what is going on’.

But four-year-old Louis has been asking whether the family’s summertime visit to Balmoral Castle will still be as he remembers them.

‘The younger one is now asking questions like, “do you think we can still play these games when we go to Balmoral and things like that, cause she’s not going to be there?”‘ Mr Hurley said. 

Queen Elizabeth II died in Balmoral, her beloved castle in Scotland, on September 8 at the age of 96. Her funeral is scheduled for September 19. 

 

Kate spoke to David Hurley at Buckingham Palace on Saturday about how her three children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, were handling the sudden loss of their great-grandmother

But four-year-old Louis has been asking whether the family's summertime visit to Balmoral Castle will still be as he remembers them

But four-year-old Louis has been asking whether the family’s summertime visit to Balmoral Castle will still be as he remembers them

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Louis during Trooping the Colour on June 2, 2022 in London, England

The pair were watching on as planes circled the sky

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Louis during Trooping the Colour on June 2, 2022 in London, England

Last week an Australian expert revealed the best way to speak to your children about the death of the Queen, revealing parents should ‘be honest’ and ‘show their own emotion’ when breaking the news.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Margaret Rice, curator of Good Grief website, said that it was ‘normal’ for children to ‘have a lot of questions’ about the royal’s passing and it’s best for parents to be as ‘simple and honest as possible’ when explaining what’s happened.

‘Children experience grief and loss from a very young age,’ she explained.

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Louis of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 5

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Louis of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 5

‘They will want to talk about it quite a bit, and they might repeat questions, you might think you’ve answered the questions about it, but it comes back again in another way, and that’s normal.

‘If they’re very little, they don’t completely understand the finite nature of death, they don’t process it the way adults do,’ she added.

Sydney-based Margaret also said that it’s common of a small child to ‘ask a lot of questions’ if their own great grandparent or grandparent dies – but that every child will act differently.     

The world was plunged into mourning after Her Majesty passed away aged 96 on Thursday, with many parents revealing their children have asked many questions about the historic event. Her Majesty is pictured meeting children in Melbourne in 2011

The world was plunged into mourning after Her Majesty passed away aged 96 on Thursday, with many parents revealing their children have asked many questions about the historic event. Her Majesty is pictured meeting children in Melbourne in 2011

‘Another child the same age in the same family might react completely differently,’ she said.

‘They’re all different, if your child keeps wanting to talk about it, meet them where they are, be patient as they ask the questions’.

She added that things will ‘gradually change’ as children get older, but that curiosity is normal at any age.     

‘If you yourself are sad about it, don’t feel you’ve got to pretend you’re not sad,’ she added.

‘Likewise, don’t pretend you’re sad if you’re not.

Sydney-based Margaret (pictured) also said that it's common if a small child to 'ask a lot of questions' if they're great grandparent or grandparent dies - but that every child will act differently

Sydney-based Margaret (pictured) also said that it’s common if a small child to ‘ask a lot of questions’ if they’re great grandparent or grandparent dies – but that every child will act differently

‘Many people across the world, will feel like there’ve lost a grandmother that lives overseas.     

‘It’s important to be honest about your emotions with your children, whatever the age the child is.

‘The simplest way is to say “she died”, make sure to use the the word death and dying and be direct.

Margaret added that the monarch’s death is an ‘important opportunity’ to ‘introduce children to the idea of death’ especially if they’ve not experienced the loss of anyone in their family already.

‘Use very simple descriptions, say “the person has stopped breathing,”‘ she said.

‘If you’re religious, you might want to bring concepts of an after life as you see fit. You can say they retuned to God. 

‘But questions about heaven might confuse children more. Children might think heaven is very crowded and have nightmares about all these dead bodies in heaven.’

Margaret added if you do introduce the idea of heaven, you still need to explain what death is ‘in a technical sense’.  

‘You don’t have to labour the point and make it ugly. You can draw parallels to when pets die. 

‘Our understanding of what children understand with things like death, changes all the time, but in general, the smaller they are the less they’re able to understand’

‘If they’re young, you can use picture books and story books to help explain.’

During the 40-minute walkabout at Windsor Castle with the Fab Four shortly after the Queen’s death a ‘tearful’ Kate shared Prince Louis’s sweet tribute to his great-grandmother with the public.

'The younger one is now asking questions like, "do you think we can still play these games when we go to Balmoral and things like that, cause she's not going to be there?"' Mr Hurley said

‘The younger one is now asking questions like, “do you think we can still play these games when we go to Balmoral and things like that, cause she’s not going to be there?”‘ Mr Hurley said

The family are coming to terms with the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, who will be laid to rest on Monday

The family are coming to terms with the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, who will be laid to rest on Monday

Among the crowd on the Long Walk, Banita Ranow, 28, said she heard Kate tell children next to her about what her youngest son Louis had said about the Queen’s death.

She said Kate told the children: ‘Louis said at least Grannie is with great grandpa now.’

Ms Ranow said Kate was ‘welling up’ as she spoke to the children.

The well-wisher from west London also spoke of her surprise at seeing the two brothers and their wives together, adding: ‘It was really nice.’ 

Prince William and Harry, along with their wives Kate and Meghan Markle, went on a 40-minute walkabout at Windsor Castle inspecting the sea of floral tributes

Prince William and Harry, along with their wives Kate and Meghan Markle, went on a 40-minute walkabout at Windsor Castle inspecting the sea of floral tributes

The Princess of Wales meeting members of the public at Windsor Castle in Berkshire

The Princess of Wales meeting members of the public at Windsor Castle in Berkshire

Her mother Baljinder Ranow, 64, said it was ‘fabulous’, adding: ‘It was so beautiful to see.’

She said: ‘I felt so emotional and I felt the Queen would have loved it. I just hope in the future they remain like that and that the brothers come together, and the families.’

The prince delighted royal fans by stealing the show on the balcony during the Platinum Jubilee after Trooping the Colour.

He let out a howl and covered his ears during the flypast, and his ‘Gan Gan’ the Queen sweetly interacted with her great-grandson, leaning down to chat to him and point out the planes.

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk