Prince William gave Dame Deborah James’ children ‘powerful advice’ on coping with mum’s death after ‘similar grief’ with Diana

metro.co.uk:

Prince William gave Dame Deborah James’ children advice on how to cope with the loss of their mother, it has been revealed.The Prince of Wales visited Dame Deborah this summer at her home, where she was receiving end-of-life care.The future king presented the broadcaster and campaigner – also known as BowelBabe – with a damehood, to recognise her incredible work raising money for, and awareness of, bowel cancer.Dame Deborah died in July, after raising over £7.4 million for cancer research – a number which shot up in the days after her death.Now, in a new interview, her husband Sebastien has revealed the kindness Prince William showed to their children after having lost his own mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 15 years old.The father-of-two, who shares Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with Dame Deborah, said William ‘felt like a friend, but he was the future king.’He told The Times the prince was ‘so relaxed’ and instantly broke the ice with himself and his wife over a glass of champage.‘Deborah had a glass of champagne, a glass of wine and a glass of sherry in front of her,’ Sebastien recalled.‘She hadn’t been allowed a drink for months and the first thing William said was, “I’m glad to see you are triple parked.”‘There were, of course, serious moments, with Sebastien revealing the prince gave advice to Eloise and Hugo as they prepared to say goodbye to their mum.‘He’s obviously been through similar grief with the loss of his mother so he gave powerful advice to the children that will stay with them forever,’ he said.Princes William and Harry were 15 and 12 respectively when Diana, Princess of Wales, was tragically killed in a crash in Paris in August 1997.Both often speak about their continued love for their mother.