Prince William just took a royal tour of Scotland, and while he was there, he revealed some very emotional connections he has to the country.
During an address to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Duke of Cambridge said, “I've been coming to Scotland since I was a small boy. As I grew up, I saw how my grandmother relishes every minute she spends here. And my father is never happier than when walking among the hills.”
However, some of those memories are more painful for the duke. He revealed, “I was in Balmoral when I was told that my mother had died,” in reference to Balmoral Castle, where he learned that his mother, Princess Diana, has died during a car crash. But, while Prince William dealt with the tragedy, the area acted as a source of comfort for him as well. “Still in shock, I found sanctuary in the service at Crathie Kirk that very morning,” he said. “And in the dark days of grief that followed, I found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors. As a result, the connection I feel to Scotland will forever run deep.”
This duke's trip was captured on his and Kate Middleton's Instagram account, where his arrival was marked with a post that said, “Prince William inspects a Guard of Honour, as he is formally welcomed as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.”