Prince William
He gave Deborah James (†)’s children “strong advice”.
Deborah James (†) with her children Eloise and Hugo
© instagram.com/bowelbabe
British cancer activist and columnist Deborah James died after her husband and two teenage children. For them, Prince William had some advice they will never forget.
At the end of June 2022, husband Sebastien, 42, and children Hugo, 14, and Eloise Bowen, 12, had to say goodbye to Deborah James. After several years, she had lost the fight against her colon cancer. It’s hard to imagine how her family is dealing with the loss.
But one can empathize with this pain: Prince William, 40, who lost his mother Princess Diana, † 37, in a car accident at the age of 15 – and gave Deborah’s children “strong advice”, as Sebastien Bowen said in the first interview after her Death revealed to The Times.
Prince William joked with Deborah James shortly before her death – and taught her children something important
In 2016, Deborah James was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. But she didn’t bury herself, she fought. On Instagram and as a “The Sun” columnist, the former deputy headmistress described in detail her path with the disease, raising over seven million pounds (equivalent to around 8.3 million euros) for cancer research with her Bowelbabe Fund.
Queen Elizabeth, 96, ennobled her in May for her tireless efforts. A few weeks before Deborah’s death, Prince William celebrated the title of “dame” with her at her childhood home in Woking, Surrey – an experience that James’ husband Sebastien and their children will probably remember forever.
While he is the future king, Sebastien Bowen told The Times that William’s visit felt like that of a “friend”. Then he thinks back to an incident: “Deborah had a glass of champagne, a glass of wine and a glass of sherry in front of her. She hadn’t been allowed to drink in months and the first thing William said was, ‘I’m glad you triple parked.” Humor works best in situations like this.
Williams’ advice will be ‘remembered forever’ by Deborah’s children
But the heir to the British throne not only had a pinch of humor in his luggage, but also something special for Hugo and Eloise. “He obviously went through a similar grief at the loss of his mother,” explains Sebastien. And further: “So that he gave the children a strong piece of advice that they will remember forever.” However, Deborah’s husband kept the words to himself.
Sebastien Bowen also recalled those final moments with the columnist, who ended up being “paralyzed from the waist down”. In the last two days he had slept with his wife, who at the time “didn’t [mehr] was really there”. Just before she died surrounded by her family, Sebastien told Deborah how much he loved her, that he would take care of the children and how proud he was of her. “Then she fell asleep.”
Source used: thetimes.co.uk