Prince William Shares Childhood Memory of Princess Diana’s Music in Effort to Promote Mental and Physical Well-being

Prince William has opened up about a childhood memory with his mother, Princess Diana, and the music she used to play for him and Prince Harry to help them overcome their back-to-school fears.

In an upcoming episode of Apple Fitness' Time to Walk series on December 6th, the Duke of Cambridge takes listeners on a walk through the grounds of Sandringham, his grandmother Queen Elizabeth's Norfolk estate, sharing personal, life-shaping moments in an effort to promote mental and physical well-being through walking.

During the walk, William selects three of his favourite songs and discusses why they are significant to him.

One of these songs is Tina Turner's The Best, which his mother used to sing to her sons in the car on the way to school.

“When I was younger, Harry and I, we were at boarding school, and my mother used to play all sorts of songs to kind of while away the anxiety of going back to school, and one of the songs I massively remember and has struck with me all this time, and I still, to this day, still quite enjoy secretly, is Tina Turner's The Best,” William shared, according to the Times report.

William got emotional while walking on the grounds, recalling how singing in the car with his family felt like a real family moment.

“We'd even get the cop in the car, and he'd occasionally join in the singing.

We'd be singing and listening to music all the way up to the school gates, where you'd be dropped off.

And that's when it hits you, that you were actually heading back to school since you'd been lost in tunes up until that point.

You'll always want to play it again, just to keep the fun continuing with your family.

When I listen to it now, it takes me back to those car rides and brings back lots of memories of my mother,” he said.

William now arranges special musical moments with his own children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

“Charlotte and George have a constant battle over which song is played for the first time in the morning, so I have to basically prioritise that someone does this one day, and then it's someone else's turn the next day.

So George has his turn, and then Charlotte has her turn.

The clamourful music is as loud as it gets,” he shared.

For his third song choice, William selected ACDC's Thunderstruck.

“There's nothing better than on a Monday morning, when you're a bit bleary-eyed after the weekend and trying to get yourself back into the grind of the week, listening to ACDC's Thunderstruck,” he said.

“I have to say the first time I put it on, and I've heard it a million times now, I was kind of like, well, this is quite heavy for a Monday morning, but now when I listen to it, it's the best tonic for a Monday morning.

It absolutely wakes you up, puts your week in the best mood possible, and you feel like you can take on anything or anyone.

I'd imagine you're going to walk quite fast listening to it, maybe with a skip in your step, with the head banging.

It's a difficult song not to dance to or to nod along to.”

Aside from sharing his love for music, William also paid tribute to his mother by referring to the life lessons she taught him.

“From an early age, she took him and Harry on private visits to homeless shelters.

William has continued to work, taking over from her as patron of the charity Centrepoint.

‘My mother took me to a homeless shelter to meet people who were down on their luck and who had a difficult time in life,' he said.

‘She wanted to make sure that I understood that life happens very much outside of palace walls.

And this is what's going on.

This is the real world here.

And we sat there and we listened.'”

William approached Apple about participating in the Time to Walk series because he was impressed with how it aligned with his efforts to improve mental health and well-being.

On December 6th, Apple will broadcast three special audio airings of William's Time to Walk episode for free on Apple Music One, the company's premier global radio station.

“I feel like I've shared a lot of feelings that make me feel like it's been an even better walk than normal.

Feels like I've been on a walk with a best mate or my wife,” William said of the experience.