Kate Middleton reveals Prince Louis is struggling with queen's death: 'He's asking lots of questions'

Death can be a very difficult subject to grasp for young children. It's no different for Prince Louis, who is only 4 years old and is having to deal with the gravity and grief of the death of his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Princess of Wales shared how her children are adjusting to their great-grandmother's passing. Speaking to Australia's governor-general, David Hurley, at a Commonwealth dignitaries reception, Kate Middleton expressed that 4-year-old Louis is particularly struggling, finding the queen's passing very difficult to grasp, according to the DailyMail. 

Louis has been enquiring whether the family's summer trip to Balmoral Castle will be the same without the queen. "The younger one is now asking questions like, 'do you think we can still play these games when we go to Balmoral' and things like that, because she's not going to be there," Hurley shared, remembering his conversation with Kate.

Kate's oldest child, Prince George, is "kind of now realizing how significant his great-grandmother was and what is going on," according to Hurley.

As Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis start a new life in Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where Her Majesty spent most of the year, the passing of their great-grandmother will be a devastating blow to them.

Last week, the Princess of Wales told well-wishers that Prince George, 9, unlike his younger siblings Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, "understands the loss" of his great-grandmother. One spectator, who witnessed Kate speaking to well-wishers during the walkabout in front of Windsor Castle, said she overheard Kate telling the children next to her what the youngest, Louis, had said about the queen's death, according to Hello! Magazine. "Louis said at least Grannie is with great-grandpa now," Kate reportedly shared with the kids, while "welling up" during the exchange.

Another well-wisher recalled her meeting with Kate. "My daughter asked her how the children were doing, and Kate thanked her and said yes, they were doing well and they were being looked after at school, so that was a nice exchange," the well-wisher said.

Prince William told royal fans the children are "settling in" after their great-grandmother passed away during "the first week of school," adding that they were "doing ok". He told a well-wisher, "We're trying to keep everything constant and settled for them."

The queen's royal funeral was held on Monday at Westminster Abbey, which Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended, but their younger brother Prince Louis did not. "As parents, they have, of course, thought long and hard about whether their children should accompany them," a source said to DailyMail. "Of course, little Louis is too young, but they think George and Charlotte are up to it."

The presence of the couple's older children at the funeral took many by surprise. Prince William and Kate are thought to have invited the heir-apparent to the throne to the event following the advice of senior royal advisers. They were asked to consider allowing him to attend the state burial due to the potent symbolic message it conveys.

Throughout the burial, which must undoubtedly have been difficult for such young children, the Princess of Wales was a steady source of comfort for her children. As the service started, Kate gave her oldest son a comforting pat on the knee. While the family made their way to the abbey in preparation for the burial, Charlotte clung securely to her mother's hand. Despite being very young, both kids seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation and realize its historical significance.