Prince William's Family a 'Silver Lining' in Light of Mother's Death

Prince William celebrated his birthday last month, honored his late mother's birthday earlier this month, and will celebrate son George's first birthday later this month. It's a time of remembrance for the 32-year-old, and he has said that his family is the "silver lining" after the loss of his mother.

William spoke to a group of young leaders, including Rob and Paul Forkan, who lost their parents when they were just teenagers. The three shared stories of their loss and how they have dealt with, and continued on, in the wake of death. The Forkan brothers decided to honor their parents by building orphanages funded by the sale of their flip-flops.

"He said he lost his mum at 15 but there was always a silver lining and you should dust yourself off and carry on," Rob told reporters of meeting William. "He applauded what we had done and said keep up the good work. He's got his own family now – that was his silver lining."

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William was just 15 when his mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a car accident in Paris. He and brother Harry, then 12, have both worked to honor her legacy and have taken on the patronage of her favorite charities. Her death profoundly affected the princes, who have tried to always remember her teachings and carry on her legacy.

Harry recently shared his own experience of losing Diana when he met a group of orphans during a trip to Brazil. The Prince was brought to tears by the plight of those without their parents or anyone to support them.

"I was completely overwhelmed and shocked. I've never blubbed in public as far as I can remember, but I was pretty damn close. It was amazing to hear those stories," Harry told reporters. "The bravery of them looking at me, smiling at me … I wanted to use my own experiences in a very small way to try to give them a bit of understanding about the fact [that] I see what you're going through. But you hear their stories and think, 'That's nothing [compared] to what they have been through."