London (UK)- Prince William has told well-wishers that walking behind the coffin of his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II was “challenging” and brought back memories of the funeral of his mother, Princess Diana.
William and his wife, Catherine, the new Princess of Wales, spent almost an hour Thursday chatting with dozens of people and viewed floral tributes outside Sandringham Estate, the royal country residence in Norfolk.
During Wednesday’s coffin procession, William and his brother, Prince Harry, walked behind the queen’s coffin along with their father, King Charles III, and the king’s siblings from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
William, speaking of the procession, said: “The walk yesterday was challenging.”
Jane Wells, 54, was among the thousands who turned up outside Sandringham Thursday. “I said how proud his mother would have been of him, and he said how hard it was yesterday because it brought back memories of his mother’s funeral,” she told reporters afterward.
Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Many in Britain still remember the image of a young William and his brother Harry walking with their father behind her coffin.
Thousands of people have turned up at Sandringham Estate, the royal country estate in Norfolk, to greet Prince William and his wife Catherine.
The royal couple appeared outside the gates of the estate to view the sea of floral tributes left for Queen Elizabeth II and to greet thousands of well-wishers.
A large crowd gathered outside the country residence on the eastern English coast early Thursday, hoping for a chance to meet and speak with the couple.
William and Kate, known since the queen’s death as the Prince and Princess of Wales, walked slowly along metal barriers as they received bouquets from the public and chatted to well-wishers.
Sandringham was the queen’s country retreat, where she spent some of her childhood years and where she presided over many Christmas family gatherings.