While participating in an upcoming BBC documentary titled Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health, which aims to start a discussion about mental well-being in young men through talking about the popular sport, Prince William spoke about how becoming a father brought back memories of his late mother Princess Diana.

In the documentary, the Duke of Cambridge and former professional soccer player Marvin Sordell discussed each losing one of their parents. Prince William lost his mother when he was just 15-years-old, while Sordell shared that he grew up without a father. Both men agreed that these experiences made becoming parents themselves especially scary.

“Having children is the biggest life-changing moment, it really is," Prince William shared with Sordell. "I think when you’ve been through something traumatic in life, and that is like you say, you’re Dad not being around, my mother dying when I was younger, the emotions come back, in leaps and bounds.”

Though becoming a father himself brought back some painful memories, Prince William said his wife, Kate Middleton, is always there to support him during those difficult times. "Me and Catherine, particularly, we support each other and we go through those moments together and we kind of evolve and learn together," he told Sordell. “I can completely relate to what you’re saying about children coming along — it’s one of the most amazing moments of life, but it’s also one of the scariest.”

Throughout the documentary, Prince William has a number of similarly candid conversations about mental health and life's most challenging moments. Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health will air in the U.K. on Thursday (May 28) on BBC One.

Photo: Getty

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