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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Sami Quadri

Watch: Emotional moment Prince William comforts grieving boy who lost his mother

Prince William recalled the death of his mother as he comforted a grieving child in a touching display of kindness.

The Duke of Cambridge visited a centre for vulnerable people in Burnley called Church on the Street.

During the engagement, he met 11-year-old Deacon Glover whose mother Grace Taylor died last year aged 28.

Recalling the heartache of losing Princess Diana in 1997, the Duke of Cambridge said “I know how you feel”.

Putting a hand on Deacon’s shoulder, he added: “It gets easier.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meeting Pastor Mick Fleming during a visit to the Church on the Street in Burnley (PA)

The Duke and Duchess spent around 15 minutes talking to the schoolboy and his great-grandmother Carole Ellis during the visit.

The pair were also seen posing for pictures with families and Kate beamed with delight as she held a three-and-a-half-month girl.

She cooed at Anastasia Barrie while standing beside her parents Trudi, a volunteer, and Alastair Barrie, who is on the centre’s committee.

William, looking at his wife gazing at the baby, said: “Don’t give her any ideas,” to laughter. “You can’t take her with you,” he told his wife, smiling.

The royal couple asked to visit the centre after watching a BBC television report on the work it does to help some of the most vulnerable people in Burnley.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stop for a photograph with volunteers and staff (PA)

William, a staunch Aston Villa fan, chatted to the schoolboy about football but the youngster – wearing a Burnley shirt – seemed unimpressed at first.

“He thought it was a footballer coming here so he was gutted when he found out it was William and Kate,” one volunteer at the centre said.

However, he gradually became more chattier as William revealed that his father is a Burnley fan.

“I only found out a few years ago that my dad is a Burnley fan,” he said.

Pastor Mick Fleming created Church on the Street in 2019 to help support the homeless and disadvantaged in Burnley.

The project has since grown and the centre, housed in a former gym, now offers refuge to anyone struggling, including those with mental health issues.

Pastor Mick said he hoped the visit will help provide extra support for the people using his services.

“They said they’d seen a BBC report on what we were doing and they’d found it very moving,” he said.

“I’m very grateful because hopefully it will mean more people will get to know about what we are doing and more people here will get support because of their royal highnesses coming here.

“We rely on donations and we don’t charge a penny for our services.”

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