Prince William’s Kids Made The Most Precious Cards For "Granny Diana"

Although Mother’s Day is traditionally a holiday where moms get showered with presents, each year Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis mark the occasion by giving their father a sweet gift. As part of their Mother’s Day celebrations, Prince William’s children make him cards remembering Princess Diana.

On Sunday, March 14, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge publicly commemorated Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom by sharing cards that had been made in remembrance of the late Princess Diana by Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. “For those experiencing bereavement, today may be particularly challenging,” Kensington Palace said in a statement issued alongside the handmade cards. “Each year on Mother’s Day, George, Charlotte, and Louis make cards remembering their Granny, Diana, for William.”

A card from Prince George featured a colorful crayon drawing of birds taking flight from a tree on a sunny day. “Dear Granny Diana, Happy Mother’s Day,” 7-year-old Prince George’s card reads. “I love you very much and think of you always. Sending lots of love from George.”

Princess Charlotte, 5 years old, decorated a piece of pink paper with a large, rainbow-colored heart and flower and butterfly stickers. “Dear Granny Diana,” her card reads. “I am thinking of you on Mother’s Day. I love you very much. Papa is missing you. Lots of love, Charlotte.”

Although too young to write a message of his own, 2-year-old Prince Louis carefully printed his name in the lower right-hand corner of his card. It featured a white cut-out heart shape that had been painted with a mix of red, green, and yellow before being pasted on a piece of green paper. Stickers of birds, rabbits, bugs, and frogs also decorated the card.

Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997 when Prince William was just 15 years old and his younger brother, Prince Harry, was 12. In the years since his mother’s death, the Duke of Cambridge has spoken about the pain of losing his mother, including the “emptiness” he feels on Mother’s Day.

“Losing a close family member is one of the hardest experiences that anyone can ever endure,” the Daily Mail reported Prince William said in a 2014 speech as the Royal Patron of the Child Bereavement Charity. “Never being able to say the word 'Mummy' again in your life sounds like a small thing. However, for many, including me, it's now really just a word — hollow and evoking only memories.”

Prince William went on to discuss how difficult holidays like Mother’s Day can be for those grieving the loss of a loved one. “Mother's Day is so painful for grieving families; for mothers remembering a lost child or for children longing for their mother — a day of happiness turned to sadness,” he said. “I too have felt — and still feel — the emptiness on such a day as Mother's Day.”

While celebrating Mother’s Day this year, the Cambridges have once again made a point to include those whose grief may make the holiday hard to commemorate. “Whatever your circumstances, we are thinking of you this Mother’s Day,” a statement from the royal couple said.