Happy Birthday Prince William
William stood at the window overlooking the garden, he smiled watching the children playing, George was chasing Charlotte with a frog while she screamed and squealed in delight. Louis was sitting on the blanket watching them, he had been playing with Nanny Maria and Lupo who was now running around with the older children. He and Catherine had woken up to cheers of Happy Birthday and he’s a jolly good fellow with their three children jumping on the bed with them still abed. Today though he was thinking about his mother, he had now reached the age where he was older than her, she had been 36 when she had died. Over the last year he had wondered how this would feel, how could be now older than his mum? It was haunting him today, she had been gone so long but days like this she felt so close. He wondered what she would think of the children, he knew she would adore them. She would’ve loved George’s big heart, Charlotte’s mischievous streak, and little Louis’ sweetness and adorable thumb sucking. He thought of the thumb sucking as he noticed when he looked closer that thumb was back in his mouth as he listened to his brother reading to him from his picture book. William hadn’t noticed they had stopped running but he knew what had happened, George had felt that Louis was being left out of their fun. His oldest had such a sweet and giving heart, he was like his grandmother that way.
“Wills Harry is on the phone.” He heard Kate calling him, “Hey man.” He said answering the phone.
“Happy Birthday old man.” Harry said with a laugh, he was holding his son with his other arm.
William laughed, “Thanks, how is the baby and fatherhood.” Harry had come over last week in a panic because the baby was colicky and he didn’t know what to do.
“It’s great, Archie is getting so big. So how are you doing?” William smiled, he had known that question was coming.
“It’s hard you know, I am now older than she was.” Harry signed, “Losing her was hard but now it seems harder.”
William frowned and looked back at the window, he knew why Harry said, because now he had a son and he would never meet his grandmother.
“I know, I realized that when George was born. We just have to keep her alive for them.”
He hung up with Harry a few minutes later, “You okay?” Kate put her arms around him, “Yeah I will be.” He kissed her gently, “She would be so proud of the man you’ve become.”
“Do you mind if we take the kids and go and see her today? I don’t know what you have planned.” Kate smiled, “Just a supper with family, it can be postponed, I will make the arrangements to have it moved until tomorrow or Sunday.” She knew how much this meant to him.
She walked outside where the kids were still playing, “George, Lottie come here please.” She sat down on the blanket and pulled Louis into her lap, he immediately settled in and laid his head back against her chest. “What is it mummy?” George asked petting Lupo.
“We need to postpone daddy’s supper, daddy wants to go to Althorp where his mummy was born and visit her.” George remembered Althorp it’s where his uncle Charles lived and daddy had told him that his mummy was there so had to visit her.”
“Mummy, how can daddy visit her if she’s not there? We have visited her before and I couldn’t find her.” Charlotte asked holding Louis’ little hand.
Kate smiled, “Well darling remember when your fishy had to go away?” Charlotte nodded, thinking of Nemo, he had gone belly up and daddy said that he was in a better place and that his body was just a shell left. “Well it’s like that, daddy’s mummy, your grandmother Diana had to go away to a better place and leave daddy and Uncle Harry, but her body is buried like we buried Nemo. Do you understand darling?”
Charlotte nodded, “Does visiting her make daddy sad?” She knew she would be sad if she couldn’t see her mummy and daddy.
“Yes darling, but it makes him happy too, I know it is hard for you to understand, he feels close to her there and daddy likes us to go because we make him happy too.” Kate said, it was always hard trying to explain about graves to little ones.
Several hours later at Althorp, William was sitting on the bench in front of his mother’s grave, Kate and the children were playing and he could hear the laughter and giggles.
“Hello mummy, sorry it has been a while, I brought Catherine and the children with me, I am sure you see them playing. They are growing up so fast, I remember when I was little you always said to people, ‘Wills is growing up so fast’ I never understood that until now. I wish you were here, it is my birthday today, I am a year older than you were and for some reason it makes me sadder than when I turned 36. Harry and I have split up our Royal Foundation, the press is having a field day with these feud rumors and other rumors I won’t mention. Sometimes I wish I could just take Catherine and the children and live on a deserted island, Catherine is amazing though she makes me the happiest man alive you should see her with the children, they adore her so much and so do I.” he sat quietly for a while until he heard whispering, he wiped his eyes and turned, and there were Catherine and children coming to the island, “Mummy said we have to whisper.” Charlotte told him as she climbed up beside him, William kissed her head, “Come here Kate darling.” He pulled her onto his lap since there wasn’t anymore room on the bench, George squeezed up close and Kate held Louis, who yelled “Dada! Lub Dada!” Kate laughed and they all joined in, “Dada loves all of you too.”
From up in Heaven Diana watched her eldest with a smile, Catherine was perfect for him and oh her grandbabies, she wished she could them, but she would always watch over them, her boys had become men and had their own families. She could not be prouder of them.