The Prince of Wales hosted members and supporters of Child Bereavement U.K. at Windsor Castle for a private dinner on Tuesday, May 13, to mark 30 years of the charity. The organization holds a special place in William’s heart as he succeeded his mother as its patron in 2009.

Child Bereavement U.K. was founded by Diana’s friend Julia Samuel, who is so close to the family that William and Kate Middleton later chose her as a godparent for their eldest son, Prince George, 11.

While the event was private, Prince William’s attendance was confirmed in the Court Circular, the official account of the British royal family’s public engagements. “The Prince of Wales, Patron, this evening gave a Dinner at Windsor Castle for Child Bereavement UK’s Thirtieth Anniversary,” the schedule read.

The charity is one of William’s longest-standing patronages, and he regularly visits its facilities across Britain. While out, he often talks with those he meets about coping with grief.

When Prince William and his wife, Princess Kate, 43, visited the charity’s London-based center in 2017, Samuel told, “Bereavement — and particularly child death, which is so unbearable to think about — is something William is shining a light on. He is helping us raise awareness in a way that no one else can do.”

Talking with some young people helped by the charity in Widnes, in northwest England, in February 2025, William reflected on his own childhood grief.

“Sometimes the hardest thing about grief is finding the words for how you actually feel,” he said. “It’s crucial for those first few years, particularly, [that] you have support like this… It’s got you in your practice, how to help yourself.”

“The mind gets focused on one thing, doesn’t it? It’s very difficult to do school and normal life,” he continued.

And in 2017, on a visit with wife Kate, William comforted a girl grieving for her father, telling her, “I lost my mummy when I was very young too.”

He continued, saying, “Do you know what happened to me? You know I lost my mummy when I was very young, too. I was [15], and my brother was 12. So we lost our mummy when we were young as well. Do you speak about your daddy? It’s very important to talk about it, very, very important.”

“It was really nice that he talked to me,” the young girl told reporters. “It was like there are other people who know what it is like to lose someone.”