A speech by HRH Prince William of Wales at a dinner for the Child Bereavement Charity, Windsor Castle

Good evening everyone, as Patron of the Child Bereavement Charity, it gives me such huge pleasure to welcome you tonight to Windsor Castle. I’m obviously incredibly grateful to my Grandmother, The Queen, for allowing us to be here - and for trusting me with the keys for a night.

I am so proud of what the Child Bereavement Charity achieves, and for what it stands for. Bereavement is rightly seen as a time of intense private grief. But this is often misinterpreted as meaning a time of solitude, a time to let the bereaved sort themselves out on their own. I know that this is very far from the reality of what’s needed. The wonderful staff of the Child Bereavement Charity also understands this instinctively. A little non-intrusive help and understanding can make all the difference to people, young and old, going through what is one of the most traumatic times in life.

I have had the privilege of meeting some of your families and talking to them about the comfort they take from their contact with the Child Bereavement Charity. The universal response is extraordinarily positive – to the extent that one family said that the Charity had quite literally proved their salvation. That is why I’m so proud of you all.

I also love the vitality and vigour of this Charity. Your enthusiasm to engage with the work of others is inspirational. Harry and I have seen this at first hand in the way that you now support our Charities’ Forum, lending your wealth of experience to WellChild and Centrepoint to name but two. Also, I applaud your new initiative to help bereaved military families through the desperate times that all too many of them are currently facing. Sadly, the problems there are acute.

So, I would just like to say thank you all for supporting this wonderful organisation and I hope that you enjoy the fabulous dinner laid on so generously by The Dorchester Hotel. I wish you all a very memorable evening.