The Prince of Wales, 44, spends his days on royal outings, greeting hundreds of royal fans in the process. During a recent trip to Ilminster, the royal was confronted with a very unique and potentially awkward situation and the way he handled it has been praised online.
When visiting the Somerset town, the father-of-three took time for a walkabout, shaking the hands of well-wishers and posing for selfies. One of the members of the public who greeted him that day was a major Princess Diana fan, and she even held a striking handbag with a photo of the late Princess' face on it.
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Footage circulating online shows one angle where the woman holds up her bag for William to see, and he replies with: "Oh look, oh wow. Amazing, thank you," as the pair clutch hands. "It's very nice to see you," then says William and follows to pose for a photo alongside her.
Online royal fans left divided by interaction
While many people online are proposing that Prince William would have been flattered by the sweet tribute to his late mother, who died when he was just 15 years old, others have pointed out that it could have been "confronting" to have been surprised by the image.
"Can you imagine having the most wonderful mother loved all over the world? Wow," penned one Instagram user, while another agreed, adding: "He is just [a] gentleman and full of love towards everyone."
A third wrote: "Bravo on your future King. He made her day even if it was a bit awkward."
At the other end of the scale, comments added by concerned fans included: "This is so odd, poor William," "He was hit hard," and "Bit confronting."
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Princess Diana's legacy
Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of his mother's death, but she still plays a significant role in William's life and his moral compass is often guided by her values. A case in point being William's unwavering dedication to the less fortunate in society, highlighted by his plight to end homelessness.
"There’s not many days that go by that I don’t think of her … My mother lives with me every day," William said at the screening for the ITV documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
© Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
The royal has openly spoken about how he keeps the memory of his mother alive for his three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
He has said he often speaks to them about “Granny Diana,” revealing that he believes "it's important that they know who she was and that she existed".