Celebrity
Prince William says grief is the worst pain any child or parent can endure during speech at Child Bereavement UK 30th anniversary, merge with Winston’s Wish charity
By Victoria Ward
The Prince of Wales has described how “grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure”.
Prince William, who was 15 when his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a Paris car crash, has been patron of Child Bereavement UK since 2009, making it one of his oldest patronages.
He said the decision for the charity to merge with Winston’s Wish, another charity supporting young people through bereavement, would ensure their joint impact could be expanded in the face of “increasing demand”.
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The Prince, who attended a private dinner on Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of Child Bereavement UK, said: “Grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure, and while we cannot prevent these losses, we can ensure that every possible type of expert support and care is given, to help rebuild the lives of those affected.”
‘Bold step’ by charities
The Prince went on: “In my 16 years as patron of Child Bereavement UK, I have seen the life-changing impact of their work and how the support, care and compassion provided protects the long-term health and wellbeing of those living with loss.
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“I have also seen the growing need for support of this kind, and it is because of this increasing demand that I am delighted that Child Bereavement UK and Winston’s Wish are joining forces to expand their impact.
“They have recognised that together they can do so much more, and I commend them both for taking this bold step to reach more people and help to reduce the long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause.”
Both charities support bereaved children, young people, parents, and families and also provide training to professionals, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
The newly merged organisation will retain the name Child Bereavement UK and the Prince will remain patron.
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Fergus Crow, the chief executive of Gloucester-based Winston’s Wish since 2015, will retain the role following the retirement last September of Ann Chalmers, who had been chief executive of Child Bereavement UK for 21 years.
Alexander Fitzgibbons, the chairman of Child Bereavement UK, said: “With more, we can do more. Together, we can reach further, giving a stronger voice to bereaved children, young people, parents and families across the UK.”
In February, the Prince chatted to teenagers during a visit to Child Bereavement UK in Widnes, Cheshire, acknowledging that grief can be so overwhelming it can be “very difficult” to continue with normal life.
He spoke about the importance of getting support, particularly in the first few years after a death, which he said could teach you how to help yourself.
The teenagers later praised the Prince’s empathy, saying that he “really understood” what they were going through, having been in the same situation himself at a similar age.
Age Bereavement UK was founded in 1994 by Julia Samuel, a psychotherapist who was a close friend of Princess Diana, and is godmother to Prince George.
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She has remained close to both William and his brother Harry, the Duke of Sussex.
Winston’s Wish was founded in 1992 after Julie Stokes, a clinical psychologist, visited the US and Canada on a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship.
Inspired by the services she saw, she returned to the UK and set up Winston’s Wish, initially to help bereaved children in Gloucestershire.
© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2025
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