Prince William has taken Kate Middleton on an emotional visit to his mother’s grave just days ahead of their wedding. 

The pair are believed to have made the journey to the ancestral home of Diana, Princess of Wales, in Althorp, Northants, this month and held hands as they lay flowers in her memory.

The Prince has spoken openly of his desire to share his wedding day with his mother and knows how much it would have meant to her.

A royal source said: “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.
“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 and it is very important to her she can share and understand William’s love and grief for his mum.”

The young couple strolled through the grounds of the Althorp Estate, the Spencer family seat, before rowing a boat across the lake known as The Oval to the small wooded island on which the Princess was buried 14 years ago.