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Prince William takes Kate Middleton to Princess Diana’s tomb

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Prince William has taken his bride-to-be, Kate Middleton, on an emotional visit to his mother Princess Diana‘s tomb, it was reported Wednesday.

William took his fiancee to his mother’s ancestral home at the Althorp Estate, where they held hands and laid flowers while wandering though the grounds of the estate, the Daily Mirror reported. They later took a boat to the island tomb known as the Oval where Diana was buried after her 1997 death in a car accident.

Only Prince William’s uncle, Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother, was privy to the royal trip, the paper said. The 14,000-acre Northamptonshire estate where the island is located has been the Spencer family’s home since the 16th century. It boasts a temple with a permanent memorial to the late princess.

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Prince William also took Middleton to the arboretum where he and his brother, Prince Harry, his best man, planted trees as children. He was 15 and Harry was 12 when their mother died.

‘It is very important for Kate to share and understand William’s love and grief for his mum,’ a source told the UK’s Daily Mirror.

Prince William and Prince Harry walked behind their mother’s cortege at her funeral at Westminster Abbey, the site of the prince’s upcoming April 29 nuptials. Prince William proposed to Middleton with his mother’s diamond and sapphire ring.

‘It was very important for William to take Kate to visit his mum just before their wedding day. Diana is still a huge part of her boys’ everyday life and always will be,’ another source said. ‘It is tragic that she won’t be there to see the wedding, and that she never got to meet his bride. But even though Kate never met Diana she knows what an incredible woman she was.’

Amid the speculation about Middleton’s dress and all the royal wedding details, it’s a bit sobering to hear how he’s working on this connection between his bride and late mother, yes? Tell us in comments.

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— Nardine Saad
twitter.com/NardineSaad

Top photo: Crowds visit the lakeside memorial to Princess Diana at her ancestral home, Althorp House, in 1998. Credit: John Giles / Associated Press

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Left photo: Princess Diana wears the Spencer tiara on Nov. 7, 1985. Credit: Jim Bourdier / Associated Press

Right photo: Kate Middleton wearing Diana’s ring. Credit: Lindsey Parnaby / EPA

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