Prince William Says Queen’s Funeral Was 'Challenging' Reminding Him of Princess Diana's Death

Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a tragic car accident almost exactly 25 years ago. The “people’s princess” died from injuries she sustained in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Her partner and the driver of the vehicle died on impact. Her sons, Harry and William, were 12 and 15 years old at the time, respectively.

Queen Elizabeth II’s death last week marked the end of an era. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch ruled for more than 70 years after she first became queen at the age of 25. Immediately upon her death, her son, King Charles III, became king, making his son William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent (first in line) to the British throne.

According to William, his grandmother’s funeral procession on Wednesday was “challenging” for him as it brought back memories of his mother, Diana’s, own funeral.

The image of William, and his brother Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, following the Queen’s coffin during funeral processions on Wednesday echoed the same image of the two brothers having to follow their mother’s coffin in a similar procession almost exactly 25 years ago.

William, 40, and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales (Kate Middleton), spoke with folks gathered in crowds while looking at tributes left behind by members of the public in honor of the Queen.

The two senior royals spent close to an hour speaking to mourners of the Queen outside the Norwich Gates of Sandringham House. While speaking to one person in the crowd, William said, “I mean the walk yesterday was challenging, it brought back a few memories…”

“He said how hard it was yesterday because it brought back memories of his mother’s funeral,” said Jane Wells, a receptionist from Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, who told William how proud his mother would have been of him.

“Thank you for sharing your grief with the nation,” said Caroline Barwick-Walters, of Neath in Wales to William.

“I’m learning that she was everyone’s grandmother — the way people have reacted,” William said.

William has previously described the loss of his mother as a “pain like no other pain,” and said that being asked to walk behind his mother’s coffin in a funeral procession was something he did not think would happen “today.”

"I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today," William said in a 2017 interview with Newsweek.