Prince William tells mourners walking behind Queen’s coffin ‘brought back memories’ of Diana’s funeral

Prince William has said taking part in the procession of Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin on Wednesday was “challenging” because it “brought back a few memories”.

As a teenager, William walked behind his mother Diana’s coffin in 1997.

On Thursday, the future king, who is now the Prince of Wales, opened up to people who had come to Sandringham Estate to pay tribute to his grandmother.

Reflecting on Wednesday’s procession, he said: “It’s one of these moments where you kind of think to yourself, I’ve prepared myself for this but I’m not that prepared.

“It’s this weird kind of thing … because we knew she was 96”.

William had the conversation after he and Kate looked out at a sea of flowers that had been left in honour of the Queen at the estate’s Norwich Gates.

Thousands of people had gathered behind metal barriers outside the gates to show their respects to the late monarch, whose state funeral will take place on Monday.

The royal couple spent roughly an hour talking to members of the public, thanking them for travelling to the Norfolk estate.

After speaking to William, retired dry cleaner Peggy Butcher said he had described the sea of flowers as “unbelievable”.

“He seemed to care about us because we cared about the Queen,” the 89-year-old added.

Caroline Barwick-Walters, 66, praised the Prince of Wales for sharing his grief with the nation, while 54-year-old receptionist Jane Wells said his mother would have been proud of him.

“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 said.