Dame Deborah James ' widow has revealed Prince William gave his children some 'powerful advice' prior to the star's tragic death.
Sebastien Bowen - who shares two children with the late campaigner - says the future king "felt like a friend" when he visited his wife and their family earlier this year, and offered kindness to their young children as they prepared to say goodbye to their mother.
He details Prince William's "similar grief" from when he lost his own mother, Princess Diana, in August 1997, and recalls having to "manically tidy" ahead of the royal's visit to his home in May.
Sebastien and Deborah's loved ones shared the sad news that she had died at the age of 40 via a statement on June 28, following a five-year battle against stage four bowel cancer.
Prior to her untimely death last month, Deborah raised over £7million for charity thanks to her final fundraising drive, the Bowelbabe Fund, and was presented with a damehood by Prince William while receiving end-of-life treatment at home.
Recalling the royal visit, Sebastien says Prince William "felt like a friend, but he was the future king", and was "so relaxed" as he spoke with his late wife over a glass of Champagne.
"Deborah had a glass of champagne, a glass of wine and a glass of sherry in front of her," he tells The Times in a new interview.
"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'."
He goes on to share the "powerful advice" Prince William gave to son Hugo, 14, and daughter Eloise, 12, as the prepared to spend their final few weeks with their beloved mother.
"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 reveals.
Sebastien goes on to look back at how he and his family prepared for Prince Williams visit in May - after getting just 24 hours notice they would welcoming a special guest into their home.
He remembers taking a call from Downing Street in which explained "the formal way to tell her," and reveals Deborah's reaction to the news was: "Shut up, you’re making it up!"
"We had to manically tidy when I said the Duke of Cambridge might be coming here," he adds when looking back on the surprise visit.
Captioning snaps from the Duke of Cambridge's visit at the time, Deborah wrote: "Prince William actually came to our family house today!!
"I am utterly honoured that he joined us for afternoon tea and champagne, where he not only spent a generous amount of time talking to my whole family but also honoured me with my Damehood.
"It’s quite surreal having a royal pop in at home, and yes you can imagine the cleaning antics and preparation went off the scale - but it was all irrelevant because William was so kind and he put us all at ease.
"He is clearly passionate about improving oncology outcomes as the President of the Royal Marsden. It was such a special day for my whole family, making memories to last a life time. He’s welcome back any time!"
Deborah passed away the following month after receiving end-of-life care at home with her loved ones close by.
A private funeral was held by friends and family in July, with stars such as Lorraine Kelly and Tom and Giovanna Fletcher in attendance.
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