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In his new book, William at 40: The Making of a Modern Monarch, royal author Robert Jobson is claiming that Princess Diana and Prince William‘s mother-son relationship was sometimes flipped. Allegedly, it was the young boy who often cared for his mom during his childhood.
During and after her tumultuous marriage to now King Charles III, Diana was open about her mental health struggles, and William was reportedly a great source of emotional support for her. Though his love for his mother was always plain to see, this role became a burden, Jobson alleged.
But there was supposedly one place where William always knew he could get away from this responsibility. A responsibility which, granted, we find hard to believe ever fell solely on his shoulders — but, if true, one that would be extremely hard for a child to handle.
“For William, school was not only fun but a respite from his mother’s increasing tendency to lean on him as an emotional crutch,” Jobson wrote.
Both Prince William and his brother Prince Harry went to Ludgrove School, and former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter praised the school for being “extremely good” at keeping the young royals away from the spotlight while they were away from their family.
In adulthood, the princes and their wives have all been candid about mental health, be it by talking about their own struggles or by supporting initiatives to help others. In 2017, as part of their Heads Together campaign, the brothers talked about how they never addressed their mental health after their mom’s passing.
“We’ve never really talked about losing a mum at such a young age,” Harry said to William, later urging people to discuss their problems at a young age instead of “bottling them up.”
“Prioritize your mental health,” William said. “Someone has to take the lead and force that conversation.”
That same year, the Prince of Wales told GQthat “practically everything” in his charitable endeavors ultimately has to do with mental health.
“Whether it be homelessness, veterans’ welfare, my wife and the work she is doing on addiction; so much of what we do comes back to mental health,” he said. “…Smashing the taboo is our biggest aim. We can’t go anywhere much until that’s done. People can’t access services until they feel less ashamed, so we must tackle the taboo, the stigma, for goodness sake, this is the 21st century.”
“I’ve been really shocked how many people live in fear and in silence because of mental illness,” he continued. “…I am a great believer in communication on these issues…I am shocked we are so worried about saying anything about the true feelings we have. Because mental illness is inside our heads, invisible, it means others tread so carefully, and people don’t know what to say, whereas if you have a broken leg in plaster, everyone knows what to say.”
In February of 2023, Kate Middleton spoke out about the key to nurturing a child’s mental health as part of her Shaping Us campaign that highlights the impact of early childhood interventions.
“The environment in which you bring up a child is as important as the experiences you engage them with,” she said. “It’s not about the number of toys they’ve got or the number of sort of trips that you go on with them. It’s just making sure they have got the right emotional support around them and that comes from the adults in their lives.”
And even if Princess Diana was an alleged burden, we’d be hard-pressed to believe she wasn’t a great source of emotional support too.
Before you go, check out Prince William’s most endearing dad moments.
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