Prince William has opened up on his "grief" of losing his mother, Princess Diana, during a visit to a memorial, dedicated to the memory of the Manchester Arena bombing victims.
The couple were in Manchester ahead of the fifth anniversary of the attack.
In a tribute to the victims, William said: “As someone who lives with his own grief, I also know that what often matters most to the bereaved, is that those we have lost are not forgotten."
William spoke about his own "grief" in reference to the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, who died when he was just 15 years old.
The Duke called the city an “extraordinary place” which had refused to “look back in anger” but responded to hate with love.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a short service before William spoke to the families.
Jon Super
The royal visitors attended a short service, before William made his brief remarks and walked around the memorial, where the Duchess laid a bouquet of flowers.
Relatives of the 22 who were killed wiped away tears and exchanged hugs as a choir sang Halo by Beyonce, which includes the refrain, ‘I can feel your halo’.
William told the families: “For Catherine and I it is very important that we are with you here today. To remember the 22 lives so brutally taken.
“To acknowledge the hundreds of lives that were irrevocably changed and to pay tribute to the resilience of this great city.
“I remember only too well the shock and grief on the faces of those I met when I visited Manchester in the days following the atrocity.
“Five years on I know that the pain and the trauma felt by many has not gone away.
“As someone who lives with his own grief, I also know that what often matters most to the bereaved is that those we have lost are not forgotten.
“There is comfort in remembering. In acknowledging that, while taken horribly soon, they lived.
“They changed our lives.
“They were loved, and they are loved. It is why memorials such as the Glade of Light are so important.
"Why Catherine and I so wanted to be amongst you today.”
The Duke said the memorial would be a place of solace for families and for all Mancunians.
William and Kate lay flowers together at the Glade of Light Memorial.
Jon Super
The duke told families the memorial would be a place of solace for them and all Mancunians.
Jon Super
