"I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real."
While the nation is mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth who passed away on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96, she is also being missed by her grandson, William, the new Prince of Wales.
The future King issued an emotional statement after his grandmother's death, where he paid tribute to her for sticking with him through thick and thin.
"On Thursday, the world lost an extraordinary leader, whose commitment to the country, the Realms, and the Commonwealth was absolute. So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign," he said, according to Hello! Magazine.
"I, however, have lost a grandmother. And while I will grieve her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful. I have had the benefit of The Queen's wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade. My wife has had twenty years of her guidance and support. My three children have got to spend holidays with her and create memories that will last their whole lives," he continued.
"She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life. I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real."
"I thank her for the kindness she showed my family and me. And I thank her on behalf of my generation for providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age, but always relevant to us all," he shared.
"My grandmother famously said that grief was the price we pay for love. All of the sadness we will feel in the coming weeks will be testament to the love we felt for our extraordinary Queen. I will honour her memory by supporting my father, The King, in every way I can," he concluded his message.
Even as a child, Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, suffered great loss, with their mother's passing, but the Queen, as a true maternal figure, shielded the boys as much as she could. In 2016, while in conversation with Sky News for a documentary called The Queen At 90, William spoke about how supportive his grandmother was during those tough times, according to ITV.
She's been a very strong female influence and having lost my mother at a young age, it's been particularly important to me that I've had somebody like the Queen to look up to and who's been there and who has understood some of the more, um, complex issues when you lose a loved one... So she's been incredibly supportive and I've really appreciated her guidance," said the Prince.
The loss is not going to be easy to cope with, but here's hoping they have the strength to get over this tough time.
References:
https://www.itv.com/news/2016-04-20/queen-helped-me-cope-with-my-mothers-death-says-prince-william
Cover Image Source; Getty Images | Photo by Oli Scarff
