LONDON (Reuters) - Prince William will go to the private funeral of his former nanny on Wednesday, cancelling royal engagements to pay homage to the woman who looked after him and his brother Harry for most of their childhood.
Olga Powell, who died in September aged 82, cared for the boys over a 15 year period which saw their parents divorce and the death of their mother Princess Diana in a high speed car crash.
"Given the significant role that Mrs. Powell played in the Princes' lives, The Duke (Prince William) wished to pay his respects in person," a royal spokesman said on Tuesday.
Younger brother Prince Harry will not be able to attend the funeral as he is on a tour of duty in Afghanistan as an attack helicopter pilot.
In a 2011 interview, Powell spoke of her close relationship with the two princes, whom she described as being the same as any other children.
"If they saw a muddy puddle they wanted to jump in it and if there was something to climb, they wanted to climb it," Powell told the Hertfordshire Mercury newspaper.
"Their parents wanted them to have as ordinary a childhood as they could."
Powell was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal in 2000 for her services to the family.
William cancelled plans to pay an official visit to Newcastle in order to attend the service, a spokesman said. His wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, will carry out the royal engagement on her own.
(Reporting By Alessandra Prentice, editing by Paul Casciato)
