Prince William chose not to display his emotions in public following the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a car crash in Paris in 1997 in order to 'protect himself', a new book has claimed.
The Duke of Cambridge, who was 15 when Diana was killed in the road accident, turned to his brother, Prince Harry, for support instead of shedding tears publicly because he has "the Windsor ability to keep his emotions hidden", the book says.
"At 15, William was no longer a young boy, but not yet a man; it was a difficult age. He didn't speak to Sandy about his feelings, and she never saw a tear; he appeared to internalise his grief, just as he'd internalised so much in his life already."
"William, who has the Windsor ability to keep his emotions hidden, appeared to be remarkably controlled," author Penny Junor writes in the new biography 'Prince William: Born To Be King' which draws on the recollections of Sandy Henney, the Prince Charles' press secretary.
Henney said of the Duke, now 29: "I think he has an innate sense of self-protection. If you ask him a personal question, he will be as honest as he wants to be, but you will never get down into the real root of William because that’s how he protects himself," the 'Daily Mail' reported.
The book claims that the grief the two brothers -- William and Harry -- shared brought them more closer to one another.
And, Prince William also grew much closer to his grandmother, the Queen, following Diana's death.
"He (the Duke) visited the Queen weekly at Windsor Castle, which was just over the bridge from Eton; indeed, he became particularly close to her during this period. But what probably helped the boys more than anything was having each other," the author writes.